AECOM has appointed Crawford Burden as its aviation lead for Europe and India. As managing director, global aviation, Europe and India, Burden is responsible for leadership of AECOM’s aviation strategy, business development and project delivery activities across the region.

An experienced project director and business developer, Burden will work with AECOM’s aviation technical experts to win, plan, design, build and manage top-tier airport projects globally. He joins from Arcadis where he was global aviation investment advisory leader.

Burden’s career spans three decades and he has worked on airports around the globe. His career has included leading Arup’s airport investment advisory team, AviaSolutions where he was a principal in its transaction support and business planning team and head of business information and group business planning at Manchester Airports Group (MAG).

“We are hugely excited to have Crawford join the team,” said AECOM director of global aviation Bijan Pashanamaei. “His capability to lead and deliver complex multi-disciplinary projects demonstrates his deep understanding of the aviation industry and the challenges our clients face such as capacity constraints, aging infrastructure, environmental sustainability and financial feasibility.

“Crawford and his team will provide clients with strategic advice and support in critical areas such as passenger terminal planning and design, program and construction management, business and investment advisory, decarbonization strategy, and EVTOL, among many others.”

Commenting on his new role, Burden said: “The aviation industry is undergoing significant change and facing new challenges as it recovers from the impact of the pandemic. It is an exciting time to be joining AECOM’s global aviation business and a collaborative team with deep expertise and capability that is well placed to support the industry as it plots a path to sustainable long-term growth. I’m looking forward to building on existing relationships and getting to know new clients as we support the industry through this transition and beyond.”