McKinney National Airport’s leap into commercial air service now has a new second-in-command. Teresa Lyons has been promoted to airport maintenance and operations manager, a role that puts her in charge of day-to-day airfield operations, safety protocols and construction oversight as the city races toward opening a passenger terminal and launching scheduled flights. The move comes as city leaders continue to target late 2026 for the terminal’s debut, a timeline that gives Lyons a lot to do in not a lot of time.
On Monday's news release, the City of McKinney confirmed the promotion and pointed to Lyons’ credentials, including her Accredited Airport Executive designation. The city says she will help ready the field for federal certification and passenger service as McKinney National transitions from a general-aviation reliever to a commercial service airport.
Lyons joined TKI in 2023 as an airport operations analyst and moved up to airport operations supervisor in 2024, according to Community Impact. Local coverage notes she previously served as airport director at Hereford Municipal Airport and worked on flight-operations safety at Southwest Airlines, an experience city officials say set her up well for this high-pressure role.
What Lyons Will Oversee
On paper, Lyons’ portfolio reads like a checklist of everything an airport needs before it can sell a single ticket. She is responsible for FAA Part 139 certification readiness, development of the TSA Part 1542 security and credentialing program, construction and airfield safety oversight, and aircraft incident response. Airport officials list those tasks as prerequisites for welcoming paying passengers.
The airport’s website outlines those priorities alongside the infrastructure projects now underway as TKI prepares for commercial service, according to FlyTKI.
Terminal Timeline And Local Context
Lyons steps into the No. 2 job while McKinney is building a roughly 46,000-square-foot passenger terminal with four gates and supporting facilities. City officials say the project remains on track for completion in late 2026.
The city has already lined up its first airline partner. McKinney signed an Airline Use and Lease Agreement with Avelo Airlines in December 2025, making Avelo the first carrier committed to operating from TKI, as reported by The Dallas Morning News.
Leadership Change
Lyons fills the vacancy left by Jeff Patterson, who retired in January 2026 after serving at TKI since 2018, according to the City of McKinney. Airport Director Ken Carley praised Lyons’ leadership and pointed to her work on capital projects and federal coordination as key assets as the airport pivots to passenger operations.
Over the coming months, Lyons is expected to build training programs, finalize manuals and lead staff preparation ahead of federal inspections and airline scheduling, local reporting says. Community Impact noted her role in drafting the airport programs required for certification as TKI moves closer to welcoming commercial flights.
