BIA director to take flight after 10 years

BANGOR – Bangor International Airport director Bob Ziegelaar may be moving on, but he’s not moving far.

Ziegelaar on Thursday announced he would leave his position at BIA, where he has served as director for 10 years, to take a job with the Telford Group, an aircraft maintenance and parts distribution company located on the airport grounds.

Ziegelaar, 53, will leave his $79,000-a-year position and make the move to the private sector on April 30, when his resignation becomes effective.

Reached Thursday, Ziegelaar said that while he has enjoyed his time with the city, the time was right to move into the private sector now that airport appears to be rebounding from the effects of deregulation of the airline industry.

“It has been a challenge,” Ziegelaar said of the airport’s efforts to attract domestic flights in the wake of the industry’s deregulation. “But I think we’ve basically come out of that struggle now.”

Like many small airports, Bangor lost several air-travel options under deregulation, which prompted many major airlines to maximize profits by concentrating their efforts at larger airports.

But things have been looking up for BIA in recent months, with increased regional jet service to major cities and major carrier Pan Am offering popular, affordable flights to Florida.

Ziegelaar pointed to 9 percent and 6 percent increases in domestic passengers during the past two months as a sign that the airport’s plan to expand its services is paying off.

Telford Allen III, president of the Telford Group, said Thursday said that the company was completing negotiations with Ziegelaar, who “will become a top executive at the company.”

In December, Telford announced a $36 million expansion of its Bangor facility as part of the company’s partnership with Ages Volvo-Aero, a division of the international Volvo Group.

Under the agreement, Volvo-Aero would bring additional aircraft to Bangor for repairs.

Ziegelaar worked closely with Telford officials in securing the Volvo contracts and assisting the company in relocating its corporate headquarters to Bangor last year, according to City Manager Edward Barrett.

Telford currently employs between 140 people and 150 people statewide, said Allen, adding that the company has experienced 15 percent annual growth during the last 10 years.

A decision has not been made on the process that will be used to recruit and hire a new airport director, said Barrett, who praised Ziegelaar’s work.

“His knowledge of the aviation business and his extensive contacts throughout the country and overseas have been instrumental to the airport’s success,” Barrett said in a prepared statement.

“He leaves the airport in excellent financial condition with a diversified revenue base which will serve us well into the future.”