Former Northwest Arkansas National Airport operations leader steps into a senior role spanning Harrisburg International and three regional airports in central Pennsylvania.
Harrisburg International Airport is one of four airports operated by the Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority, where Thane Seeley serves as Deputy Executive Director.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Thane Seeley joined SARAA in August 2026 as Deputy Executive Director following a nationwide search.
- His remit covers Harrisburg International Airport, Capital City Executive Airport, Gettysburg Regional Airport and Franklin County Regional Airport.
- Seeley previously served as Director of Airport Operations at Northwest Arkansas National Airport, with responsibilities spanning operations, FAA Part 139 compliance, safety management, training and readiness.
- He succeeds Ryan Collins, who became SARAA Executive Director on October 1, 2026.
(NEWS) MIDDLETOWN, Pennsylvania, United States, 2026-Oct-02 — /Travel PR News/ — Thane Seeley has moved into a senior leadership role with the Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority, taking responsibility across a four-airport network that includes Harrisburg International Airport as SARAA reshapes its executive team.
Seeley joined the authority in August 2026 as Deputy Executive Director after a nationwide search, according to an airport update published October 2. His portfolio spans Harrisburg International Airport (MDT), Capital City Executive Airport, Gettysburg Regional Airport and Franklin County Regional Airport.
The appointment places an experienced airport-operations executive in a role covering both commercial and general aviation facilities in central Pennsylvania. SARAA describes its mission as providing safe, convenient and affordable airports connecting the region to the wider world, while Harrisburg International Airport serves as the authority’s principal passenger gateway.
Operations background from Northwest Arkansas
Before joining SARAA, Seeley served as Director of Airport Operations at Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA). His responsibilities there included airport operations, FAA Part 139 compliance, Safety Management System implementation, staff training, budgeting and operational readiness.
An August placement announcement from ADK Consulting & Executive Search also outlined a career progression that began in FBO and aircraft operations before Seeley joined XNA in 2013 as an Airport Operations Specialist II. He later advanced through positions including Airport Operations Manager, Senior Airport Operations Manager and Deputy Director of Operations and Maintenance before becoming Director of Airport Operations.
Seeley said the move to MDT represented an important next step in his career and that he was looking forward to working with the airport team while contributing his own operational perspective and experience.
He holds a Bachelor of Air Transportation Administration from the University of Nebraska and is a Certified Member of the American Association of Airport Executives.
Leadership transition at SARAA
Seeley succeeds Ryan Collins in the deputy executive position. Collins became SARAA Executive Director effective October 1, 2026, following his own tenure as Deputy Executive Director. In the authority’s announcement of Collins’ promotion, SARAA said Seeley had been hired in August to take over Collins’ previous role.
The appointments give SARAA a refreshed executive structure at a time when its leadership is responsible for operations, safety, infrastructure and service delivery across four distinct airports serving central Pennsylvania.
