Cynthia Guidry Earns NATA’s 2025 Airport Executive Partnership Award

NATA (the National Air Transportation Association) is proud to announce that Cynthia Guidry, Director of Long Beach Airport (KLGB), has been named the recipient of the Association’s 2025 Airport Executive Partnership Award. The honor recognizes an airport leader for outstanding efforts to nurture strong relationships between airport operators, aviation businesses, and the surrounding community.

Guidry leads one of the nation’s busiest general aviation airports, where more than 350,000 annual operations span piston, jet, helicopter, and flight training activity alongside commercial service. Since becoming director in 2019, she has overseen a staff of over 120 while navigating both growth and challenges—including the COVID-19 pandemic—always with an emphasis on collaboration and listening.

“We’re proud to be part of this community, alongside residents, pilots, and businesses,” Guidry said. “This award recognizes our team’s dedication to listening, collaborating, and building understanding across all who are connected to the airport. It’s an honor we share together.” Her approach has led to innovative outreach efforts, including a community webinar with city leadership, FAA representatives, pilots, and tenants, as well as an ongoing “Business Partner Spotlight” featured at Airport Commission meetings and in the airport’s Business Partner Brief newsletter.

“Long Beach Airport’s success under Cynthia’s leadership shows how strong airport-business-community partnerships create better outcomes for everyone. From proactive engagement to innovative programs supporting the transition to unleaded avgas, she’s modeling how to balance operational needs with community priorities. NATA is pleased to recognize Cynthia with NATA’s 2025 Airport Executive Partnership Award,” stated NATA President and CEO Curt Castagna.

A Southern California native with a civil engineering background, Guidry previously served as Deputy Executive Director for Los Angeles World Airports, where she played key roles in modernization and planning at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Van Nuys Airport (VNY). She counts both 9/11 and the COVID-19 crisis as formative experiences that shaped her leadership philosophy in difficult times.

Long Beach Airport has also emerged as a leader in the transition to unleaded aviation fuel under Guidry’s stewardship. Through its Subsidized Aviation Fuel for the Environment (SAFE) program and “Going Green with Unleaded Gas” incentive, the airport provides financial support to pilots adopting unleaded alternatives, demonstrating what Guidry calls a “solution-focused” approach to balancing community and industry interests.

Guidry will be recognized during NATA’s 2025 Aviation Business Conference in Dallas, Texas, on November 18, 2025.

Tickets for the luncheon are available for purchase and are also included in the conference registration. For more information on attending the presentation and luncheon, please contact jwilliams@nata.aero.