2021 Airport Business Top 40 Under 40: David Delaney
David Delaney was always interested in aviation and airplanes when he was growing up.
He got a job with a large technology company as an engineering intern while he was in college where he rotated through the company’s different lines of business. The aviation sector stood out as the most interesting and Delaney knew he wanted to be a part of it.
“We get to build stuff,” he said. “You get to see a project from start to finish and there are few industries that you get to do that. You can start from a design and a customer need for something and then design a machine, build it and put it into operation and actually see it support an airport.”
Delaney is vice president and general manager responsible for BEUMER Group’s Airports Division in North America.
“I like building teams, I like teams that work together,” he said. “I like finding solutions for customers and I like being able to put yourself in a position where you’re working with people internally and externally that want to work with you to find solutions.”
Delaney was involved in multiple baggage handling projects with varying degrees of leadership; including Abu Dhabi, Singapore Changi and Denver. He also participated in several high-profile international airport projects in his tenure with another company in their baggage handling and logistics business.
“It’s really exciting to find a customer that’s interested in technology,” he said. “I’m an engineer by background. I love the technology aspect of it and the automation and finding customers who are interested in that and want to learn more about it and being able to put together a team to deliver to your customers.”
Delaney served as the project director for BEUMER Group at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), delivering the first ICS baggage handling system in the U.S. The project ran from 2016 to 2020 and is the highlight of his career.
“What we did in San Francisco helped the airport achieve its LEED goal and sustainability goals,” he said. “I’d like to do more of that.”
Delaney earned both a BS in Mechanical Engineering and MBA from Kettering University. He’s a Project Management Professional, and a Registered Chartered Engineer (UK). Delaney serves the airport baggage handling industry as a director on the International Association of Baggage System Companies.
