Airport Experience® News - Pre-Conference Issue 2026

DIRECTOR’S CHAIR

TAMPA BAY TRANSITION Now At The Helm, Stephens Shares Vision For Growth At TPA

BY CAROL WARD

Above: With growth in its local population and strong demand for both leisure and business travel, Tampa International Airport is expecting a 10 million passenger bump over the next decade.

we had under Joe’s leadership. We obviously worked very close with Joe in shaping that vision for what we want to be, not only for the region, but for the industry. My goal and focus is to continue building on that. We’re primarily focusing on our team and focusing on our guest experience, then we’re undergirding all of that with innovation. How do we not only move the needle for where we are now, but how do we prepare for where we want to be in the next five years? When Joe came here, part of the goal and his major focus was to grow our international service, which we made great strides in doing. We’ll continue to focus on that. As the region grows and as the number of passengers coming through the airport grows as well, we’re now [focused on] elevating the experience. For example, if we’re talking about concessions, how do we continue to create world-class concession experiences that blend in a sense of place … but also incorporate some of the things that we see both nationally and internationally?

Above: Michael Stephens, CEO, Tampa International Airport

ditor’s Note: In April 2025, Michael Stephens took on the role of CEO of Tampa International Airport

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(TPA). He replaced Joe Lopano, who led the airport for 14 years. Stephens is a 10-year veteran of TPA, having joined in November 2015 as general counsel, and is continuing much of the vision set forth by Lopano. He recently spoke with AXN’s Carol Ward about the continuing evolution of the airport, the anticipated new concessions program and other innovations coming to the fore. WARD: Can you outline your broad-based vision for the airport, and share how your first several months of leadership have gone? STEPHENS: It’s going extremely well. We have a fantastic team, and that team is still, by and large, in place, certainly the executive team level and the next level of leaders down. We’re really building on the successes

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AX NEWS FEBRUARY 2026