2021 Airport Business Top 40 Under 40: Thierry D. Sarr C.M., Senior Airport Planner, Los Angeles World Airports
The opportunity to leave a lasting legacy and to work on outstanding programs and projects that will impact billions of people for years and decades to come is what Thierry Sarr said he enjoys most about the work he does.
“I find it very helpful to project myself in future users’ shoes to do my best to plan the best experiences possible utilizing all available resources,” he said.
Sarr’s career in aviation began back at his home in Dakar, Senegal, working two internships – one for the Airport Authority of Senegal and Dakar and the other with Air Senegal. Since then, his aviation career has taken Sarr to many different airports around the world. Currently, he is the Senior Aviation Planner/Division Manager in the Corporate Strategy and Affairs Group for the Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA).
After graduating from the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) College of Aeronautics with a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Management, Sarr has dedicated his career to the aviation industry. Prior to joining the public sector, he worked for three aviation planning and engineering firms namely: CH2M (acquired by Jacobs), Michael Baker International and Berg and Associates. At CH2M, Sarr worked on several airport master plan, airport layout plan set, and other aviation planning analyses for civil and military airfields in the United States and overseas. He was an augmented staff in Mumbai as part of the program management team overseeing the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Expansion (CSIA / BOM) and Renovation Program.
“I like being a part of the aviation industry because of its significance for humanity, for allowing people and nations to get closer and closer together. I also really like the opportunity to leave a legacy and work on these outstanding programs and projects that you get to be a part of from start to finish, and then being able to use those facilities. So, you're able to think about a problem, come up with solutions and visualize yourself as one of those users,” he said.
Sarr then spent several years working at Chicago International Airport (ORD) on the O’Hare Modernization Program (OMP) as a member of the Master Civil Engineering team. He also was involved the program definition phase of the Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) Capacity Enhancement Program (CEP). During his tenure at Michael Baker International, Sarr worked as an augmented staff / aviation planning subject matter expert in the aviation planning division of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ). He reviewed latest sets of airport layout plans and also coordinated the delivery of planning studies and functional plans for the Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) End Around Taxiways and John F. Kennedy (JFK) Runway 13L-31R rehabilitation projects. He also worked on airport layout plan and airport system plan updates.
At Berg and Associates, Sarr acted as a project manager as part of the team responsible for planning, and overseeing the implementation of LAX-it the taxi and ride app pickup lot needed to reduce traffic congestion within the Central Terminal Area (CTA) at LAX and to mitigate the impacts of roadway closures needed to implement the Landside Access and Modernization Program (LAMP).
Sarr’s current duties include delivering special projects and working on strategic initiatives requested by the CEO and other members of the executive team, managing LAWA’s Tiger Team, airline liaison activities, air service development tasks, and LAWA’s Executive Committee meetings. Sarr duties also involve procurement, budget and contract management.
