Nashville International Airport welcomed a record 26.7 million passengers in fiscal year 2026, a significant 7.7% increase over the previous year. That growth brings opportunities for businesses throughout the region, but it also raises the stakes for an airport working to accommodate more travelers while experiencing the character of the city they came to experience. Eric Johnson ’89 helps lead that effort as executive vice president and chief revenue officer for the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority. Overseeing revenue, real estate and amenities, he works to ensure the airport . growth strengthens its business operations, creates opportunities for local companies and connects travelers with Nashville . distinctive culture.
Johnson . work requires looking beyond individual projects to understand how each decision affects the larger operation. It . an approach he began developing at Polytechnic, where he studied business administration and took hands-on business practicum courses that challenged students to consider every stage of bringing a product to market, from materials and costs to production and sales.
“That is one of the things that I have always carried with me. Always look at the details of the different pieces that are involved in the project, not just the specific thing I am there to do,” Johnson said.
At Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Johnson spent 32 years building his career and brought a different perspective to concessions management. Rather than recruiting exclusively from within the aviation industry, he sought professionals with experience in restaurants, food and beverage companies and retail businesses. He studied successful airport programs, gathered feedback from travelers and staggered lease renewals so new dining and retail concepts could be introduced every three to four years.
He also prioritized collaboration among the people responsible for the passenger experience. Monthly meetings brought together airline representatives, Transportation Security Administration staff and concessions operators to review complaints and compliments, identify problems and work toward solutions.
His philosophy was straightforward: a successful airport business begins with the experience it provides.
“I always took a very conservative approach to developing rent structures,” Johnson said. “My feeling was, if you get the look of the place right, and you're providing good service to the customers coming in there, the money's going to follow.”
Johnson . experience in Minneapolis-St. Paul helped prepare him for the demands of his current role. His projects there included an $18 million FedEx cargo facility projected to generate $85 million in airport revenue over a 22-year lease. His leadership of the airport . concessions program also earned national recognition, including the 2015 ACI-NA Concessions Person of the Year award.
He joined the Nashville airport authority in 2024, bringing decades of experience to an airport navigating sustained growth. Johnson said Nashville had experienced annual growth of about 10% over the decade before he arrived, compared with roughly 2.5% to 3% at Minneapolis-St. Paul. Meeting future demand requires continued development of airport properties and amenities, along with a willingness to rethink how the airport serves travelers and its business partners.
The airport . rapid growth makes the relationship between business performance and passenger experience especially important. Its concessions include national brands, but Johnson also works to create opportunities for businesses rooted in the region. Outreach and joint-venture arrangements can help local companies participate alongside larger operators, giving them access to travelers and a way to navigate the complexities of doing business in an airport.
For Johnson, a local connection doesn't necessarily require a locally owned brand. “People want brands they know and recognize, but we also want to bring in the local culture,” he said. “Even though it may be a national brand, you can still have a local connection tied to that and bring in that flavor when they operate in the airport.”
Nashville . identity also comes through its music. Local musicians perform at more than half a dozen airport locations, giving travelers an introduction to the city . musical heritage as they arrive, depart or connect to another destination. Together, these efforts help make the airport more than a transportation hub. They create opportunities for regional businesses and bring elements of the community into a place experienced by millions of people each year.
Today, those opportunities affect far more than an airport . bottom line. They help determine which businesses can reach new customers, how travelers experience a destination and how an airport grows alongside the community it serves.
