The Port of Seattle's Aviation Division director, Gina Marie Lindsey, has become the first woman to chair the board of Airports Council International's North American arm.

The 22-strong board of directors is made up of airport chief executive officers from Canada and the US.

Gina Marie Lindsey, has held the top aviation post at Seattle since 1993. She manages Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the 17th busiest passenger airport in the US, which handles more than 28 million passengers annually.

"The ACI-NA board is committed to securing additional flexibility for airports, both operationally and financially," said Ms Lindsey. "With the current concerns over security and capacity issues, airports must be enabled to manage their own challenges utilizing their already-present professional capabilities."

ACI - North America represents local, regional and state governing bodies that own and operate commercial airports in the United States and Canada.