Kip Turner, the director of aviation at Bellingham International Airport, is out of the job less than a year after he started.
Turner confirmed over the phone Thursday evening that he was let go from his position by the Port of Bellingham on Friday, July 19, because of financial reasons.
“I was definitely caught off guard Friday morning when I was told,” he said. “I asked two or three times when they were telling me and it was just due to finances.”
The Port of Bellingham did not offer an immediate comment on Turner’s termination.
On the BLI website, Turner’s position or contact information is not listed. Instead, Emily Phillipe is listed as the deputy aviation director.
Turner said Thursday evening he had been notified that Rob Fix, the Port’s executive director, would temporarily fill the position.
The Port’s decision to let Turner go comes less than a year after he was hired and days before Southwest Airlines ends service at BLI.
Southwest made an abrupt announcement in April that it was ending flights from BLI because of financial reasons and the inability to replace aging airplanes because of increased scrutiny on aircraft manufacturer Boeing. Turner said at the time that he was constantly in contact with other airline carriers to bring more flights to Bellingham.
During a June 18 Port of Bellingham Commission meeting, he told commissioners he was speaking with three potential airlines for service to Bellingham, with two possibly starting as soon as October.
“We don’t just wake up and throw a dart and say, ‘That looks good. Let’s go for that,’” he told CDN in June, when speaking about researching new airlines. “There’s a whole lot of homework that goes into it.”
Turner, who started in October, has 30 years of experience in airport administration — managing four airports in the past, and having previously worked for Frontier Airlines.
Days before Turner was let go, port commissioners received a presentation about financial returns in the first six months of 2024. Tamara Sobjack, chief financial officer for the Port of Bellingham, said revenue collection was ahead of where it was at the same time in 2023.
The port has collected $15.8 million of revenue in the first two quarters of 2024, according to Sobjack. Revenue from aviation hovered around $3.75 million in the first six months of the year, up from the same time last year.
Annie Todd is CDN’s criminal justice/enterprise reporter; reach her at annietodd@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 130.
