James Cicardo has aviation in his blood.
Growing up, he went to the airport to watch airplanes takeoff and land. Most of his family worked in the industry and all the contact with airplanes and how it all worked grabbed his interest.
“I can’t really imagine doing anything else,” he said. “It’s a changing industry. There’s always different aircraft, different regulations and there’s always different things coming out, so you really need to adapt to those things.”
Cicardo is the chief operations supervisor of construction and redevelopment at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). He provides day-to-day oversight for all construction projects airside, landside and terminal. He also serves as a liaison between airport operations, maintenance, project management, redevelopment and JFK resident engineer's office of construction.
He oversaw the recently completed $355 million runway rehabilitation project at JFK. The project widened the runway to 200 feet, added high-speed taxiways and modified fillets to accommodate larger aircraft.
Cicardo plays a crucial role in implementing and developing the JFK snow removal plan. As a member of the snow committee, Cicardo serves as a snow chief responsible for overseeing all snow removal operations airside and landside. He is continuously looking for ways to improve efficiencies in snow removal.
In recent years, Cicardo and this team were successful in increasing the snow removal fleet, which has significantly reduced runway and taxiway snow clearance times. This increase in production has increased aircraft throughput and provided customer service to airline partners and the traveling public.
In 2016, Cicardo was named a "Pillar of the Port Authority." Recipients of this award demonstrate perseverance in the face of adversity and an ability to adapt to changing situations while continuing to perform at the highest standard and with level-headedness in times of increased pressure.
Before joining the Port Authority, Cicardo worked at Sikorsky Memorial Airport, Westchester County Airport, and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. He has a range of airport operations expertise, including Part 139 Operations, aircraft rescue and firefighting, construction management and snow removal operations.
