LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) has unveiled a new statue honoring J.D. Nichols, the former board chair of the Louisville Airport Authority.
Nichols helped grow the airport with a massive billion-dollar expansion, which in turn paved the way for UPS Worldport to come to Louisville.
"[He] was instrumental in seeing the vision and future for our airport," Dale Borden, chair of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority Board, said. "His drive and determination decades ago have allowed SDF to flourish and evolve into a global leader for cargo operations and a significant economic driver for our region."
SDF is now the sixth busiest cargo airport in the world, thanks to strong foundations set by Nichols, officials said.
"Just think about where our airport would be without the leadership, initiative, innovation and teamwork that JD has put together over his 20 years of service to our airport," Mayor Craig Greenberg said. "Even more so, think about where our city would be, think about where our city would be had UPS decided to go somewhere else, we would have lived in a very different city than we do today."
Nichols served on the Airport Authority Board from 1991 until 2012.
His new statue will greet passengers at the arrivals curb across from the baggage claim area.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.