Monroe airport manager Cleve Norrell has been fired, Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo confirmed Tuesday.
Mayo said he could not give details on why Norrell was terminated.
“We do appreciate Cleve’s involvement with the airport for a number of years, and we appreciate him being a part of moving into a brand new terminal, but we have decided to go into a new direction,” Mayo said.
Norrell could not be reached for comment.
Ron Phillips, the airport marketing manager, will serve as interim airport manager until a replacement is chosen.
Mayo said there will be a national search for the next airport manager.
“We will be putting that together very soon,” he said.
Public Works director Tom Janway said two new airport employees have been hired, both with aviation management degrees.
“The airport is in good hands during this transition,” Janway said.
Norell oversaw the construction of the airport’s new terminal building, Since its opening, however, problems at the terminal have been reported.
When the new terminal opened last month, passengers had to walk from the new terminal building to the old one either for baggage pickup or to rent a vehicle. Only days after opening the new terminal, airport officials swiftly changed the baggage claim system to curbside baggage pickup at the new terminal so passengers wouldn’t have to walk to the old building, exposed to the elements.
The city of Monroe is constructing a covered, lighted walkway from Monroe Regional Airport’s new terminal building to the old terminal building, finally giving passengers safe cover as they traverse outdoors for baggage claim or car rental services.
American Airlines reported incompatible wiring at the airport’s new terminal made its de-icer unusable until an airline electrician could arrive and rewire the outlet.
One of the improvements touted at the airport was passenger bridges that would allow travelers to walk from the plane to the terminal under cover. But some passengers arriving at the new terminal had to deplane onto the tarmac using stairs and enter the terminal building from a ramp, because the markings on the pavement indicating where planes should park were too far from the terminal building. The loading bridges couldn’t reach the aircraft doors.
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