Shane Wright
Assistant Airport Director
Manhattan Regional Airport
Date of Birth: 4/10/1985
Years in Aviation: 6
“The variety of stuff I get to work on any given is the most challenging and exciting aspect of my job,” says Shane Wright, assistant airport director of Manhattan Regional Airport (MHK). “I go from budgets and finance meetings to talking about a terminal project to having to go out on the airfield to hazing wildlife or conducting inspections.”
In this role, Wright is responsible for administration and oversight of MHK’s daily operations. The Manhattan, Kan. commercial service airport, located in the Flint Hills of Northeast Kansas, sees more than 60,000 annual passenger enplanements and has an economic impact exceeding $46 million to the region.
Wright’s primary responsibilities include oversight of FAA Part 139 Certification, airfield and building maintenance, training, budget administration, wildlife management, snow removal operations, emergency planning, and general aviation development. Additionally, as part of the airport management team, Wright assists in airside and landside construction oversight, marketing, lease development and negotiation, and air service development efforts.
While at Manhattan, Wright has been instrumental in the airport receiving an FAA Part 139 Airport Certification Program Medal of Excellence. Wright is additionally involved with the City of Manhattan Safety Committee, where the airport has received consecutive awards for best departmental safety record. Wright says he’s incredibly proud of the airport’s efforts to achieve a perfect FAA 139 inspection last year. “For a smaller airport this is an all-hands effort, and the perfect inspection is a compliment to the entire staff,” he says.
Prior to working at Manhattan, Wright worked as an airport management intern at the Dane County Regional Airport (MSN) in Madison, Wis. Wrights’ working career in aviation started at Wisconsin Aviation, the largest full service FBO in Wisconsin, working in the charter and marketing departments.
Wright, a certified member of the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), is a lifelong aviation enthusiast and began his aviation career with flying lessons at Wisconsin Aviation’s Watertown FBO while in high school. Wright attended the University of Dubuque where he graduated with Bachelor’s degrees in Aviation Management as well as Flight Operations. He continued his education at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater MBA program, graduating with degree emphases in both management and marketing.
