Director Of Los Angeles Airports Announces Her Retirement

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The woman who helped launch a major overhaul of Los Angeles International Airport said Tuesday that she plans to retire after nearly eight years in charge.

Gina Marie Lindsey has overseen billions of dollars of new investments at LAX, including a new international terminal, since becoming executive director of Los Angeles World Airports in 2007.

On Tuesday, Lindsey told staff that the time has come for her to "move on to other adventures," according to a statement about her retirement that said she'll remain in the position until a successor is found.

LA World Airports is a city of Los Angeles agency that also controls Ontario International Airport, about 40 miles east of downtown, and Van Nuys Airport, a general aviation airfield in the San Fernando Valley. It is LAX, the nation's third-busiest airport, that is at the agency's heart.

At LAX, Lindsey has advocated the modernization of many terminals, as well as the movement of one runway closer to neighboring homes to give planes more room to maneuver on the ground.

Mayor Eric Garcetti reappointed Lindsey after his election in 2013, though during the campaign he criticized the runway plan. In a written statement Tuesday, he called her "one of the nation's finest aviation executives."