American Airlines Miami hub appoints Ralph Lopez as vice president

American Airlines Group Inc. announced Monday that Ralph Lopez, a 20-year company veteran, will be vice president of the Miami hub operations at Miami International Airport following the retirement of longtime American executive Marilyn DeVoe.

Lopez will be in charge of the Miami hub’s 11,000-plus employees.

Previously, Lopez served as managing director at American’s hub at London’s Heathrow Airport and the New York operation for LaGuardia Airport & Newark Liberty International Airport. Prior to that, Lopez spent nearly 10 years leading airline operations at various airports in Latin America and the Caribbean, including San Juan, Puerto Rico; Lima, Peru; Santiago, Chile; and Kingston, Jamaica.

DeVoe, who has led the Miami hub since 2010, will retire this summer after 40 years with the company. She joined American in the finance department and went on to become vice president of the Dallas/Fort Worth hub operations and vice president of customer services planning.

As Miami’s dominant carrier, American has long been a significant contributor to local civic causes. The airline holds the naming rights to the downtown arena where the Miami Heat play.

American Airlines carried more than 26.8 million passengers through MIA, more than 10 times the next leading airline, Delta, according to airport records.

This story was originally published February 22, 2016 at 4:32 PM with the headline "American Airlines Miami hub appoints Ralph Lopez as vice president."