•    The Chairman of the Board and CEO of Imam Khomeini Airport City has emphasized the need to transform the Airport City’s governance and business models, stating that the traditional approach to airport management must evolve beyond its conventional boundaries toward a broader vision that positions the Airport City as an economic, logistics, technology and investment ecosystem and an engine of regional development.     
•    According to the Office of Communications, Information and International Affairs of Imam Khomeini Airport City, Captain Ramin Kashefazar, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Imam Khomeini Airport City, made the remarks at a joint meeting between the Airport City and Mahan Management Consulting Center on Tuesday morning, 29 September 2026. Referring to studies and reviews of successful airport cities around the world, he stated that realizing the concept of an airport city requires more than infrastructure development; it also calls for a transformation in governance, business models and approaches to value creation.      
•    He added that Imam Khomeini Airport City must evolve from a primarily operational entity into an economic and development-oriented ecosystem that activates its capacities in investment, logistics, trade, technology, innovation and infrastructure through specialized business units and an integrated value chain.  
•    Referring to the design of seven strategic business units (SBUs) within the Airport City’s new organizational structure, Kashefazar noted that this initiative represents more than an organizational restructuring. Rather, it provides an opportunity to develop practical experience in value creation, financial modeling, corporate entrepreneurship and the gradual establishment of specialized, independent companies.   
•    Emphasizing the importance of selecting and prioritizing transformation initiatives, the CEO stated that, alongside the implementation of a comprehensive, long-term transformation program, areas with greater potential for rapid implementation and tangible impact should be prioritized. He added that one or more specific, measurable and tangible achievements, known as “quick wins,” should be delivered within a three-to-four-month timeframe.          
•    He identified technological and digital transformation as areas where results could be achieved more quickly than in some other fields. He added that, alongside the broader transformation program, the Airport City should deliver a tangible achievement of national significance, with measurable effects on its resilience, stability, operational capabilities and economic performance. 
•    Returning to the need to move beyond traditional airport management, Kashefazar stated that the future of Imam Khomeini Airport City depends on shifting from managing an airport to leading an integrated economic and development ecosystem. Within this ecosystem, air transportation, logistics, trade, investment, technology, innovation, the Free Zone and services must operate as interconnected parts of a coherent value chain that generates value.    
•    He further emphasized that the Airport City must move beyond simply replicating other models and instead adapt development principles to its own capacities and specific requirements. The ultimate goal, he stated, is for Imam Khomeini Airport City to become not merely a transportation infrastructure asset, but an engine of the country’s economic development, a driver of regional growth and a major center of value creation for the national economy.      
•    The Chairman of the Board and CEO of Imam Khomeini Airport City concluded by emphasizing that this approach aligns with the Airport City management’s plans to reform its governance structure, develop logistics capabilities, attract investment, strengthen the capacities of the Free Zone, advance technology and establish an innovation ecosystem. Together, these initiatives can catalyze the Airport City’s transition toward greater value creation and sustainable development.