David Z. Plavin, President of dzpConsult, is an aviation consultant to airports and aviation businesses around the world. Previously, Mr. Plavin was President of the Airports Council International — North America (ACI-NA), a position he held for 10 years until his retirement in 2005. Known as North America’s “Voice of Airports,” ACI-NA is the largest of ACI’s six regions, representing the interests of 180 governing bodies that own and operate roughly 300 airports and more than 375 corporate members who serve the airport community.
Before joining ACI-NA, Mr. Plavin served as Director of Aviation for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey where he was responsible for the operations, management, and development of the John F. Kennedy International, Newark International, LaGuardia, and Teterboro Airports, as well as two Manhattan heliports. Together, these facilities constitute the world’s leading aviation hub. He previously served as the Port Authority’s chief financial officer and as its director of aviation redevelopment programs, where he was responsible for a $4.5 billion modernization program for the airport system. Prior to his time with the Port Authority, Mr. Plavin was executive vice president of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center where he oversaw the construction and operation of the facility.
Mr. Plavin also served as Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority. In November 2000, President Bill Clinton appointed Mr. Plavin to serve on the Federal Aviation Administration’s Management Advisory Council. Mr. Plavin received his bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and his master’s degree in regional planning from Syracuse University’s Maxwell Graduate School of Public Affairs.