In June\, we&rsquo\;ll be joined by Mike Daigle\, CEO &\; Executive Director of the South Bend International Airport\, come learn about SBN and what they have on the horizon.
Mike Daigle joined South Bend International Airport (SBN) in 2012 as the CEO and Executive Director. With over 45 years of aviation experience\, Mike is an accredited member of the American Association of Airport Executives\, the largest professional organization for airport employees. He began his aviation career in the US Army as an airplane mechanic\, then went on to be a helicopter pilot\, flight instructor and examiner with his last assignment flying Blackhawk helicopters and being the Airfield Commander at Ft. Carson\, Colorado.
After retiring\, he became the Airport Director in La Crosse\, Wisconsin and then Glacier Park International in Kalispell\, Montana. Prior to leading SBN\, he served as the Deputy Executive Director at Capital Region International Airport in Lansing\, Michigan. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Management and a Bachelor&rsquo\;s Degree in Aviation. \;
Mike and the SBN teams&rsquo\; major accomplishments include a record-breaking year serving over 1.1 million ticketed airline passengers in 2025\; a five-year $105 million taxiway realignment and terminal ramp reconstruction project\; construction of a General Aviation Facility and a Federal Inspection Station allowing for international operations\; the opening of SkyWest Airlines maintenance base creating over 90 jobs\; bringing two new airlines to SBN &ndash\; American Airlines and Breeze Airways\; terminal modernizations\; and the annual Bears in the Air program which has provided over 25\,000 teddy bears to children in local area hospitals and over $116\,000 to the Robert L. Miller Sr. Veteran&rsquo\;s Center. \;