Lekites, UPS Airlines president, retires

Lekites, UPS Airlines president, retires    Robert L. 'Bob' Lekites, president of UPS Airlines, will retire after 36 years with the global logistics company.

Lekites

   As president of UPS Airlines, Lekites had responsibility for all aspects of the company's airline operations as well as Worldport, UPS's international air hub in Louisville, Ky.
   Lekites started with UPS in 1974 as a delivery driver. He held numerous management positions before taking charge of UPS's airline and international operations in 1997.
   UPS has appointed Mitch Nichols as Lekites' successor. Nichols started working for UPS in 1987 when he was hired by II Morrow, Inc., a Salem, Ore.-based communications and navigation company that UPS acquired in 1986. In 2007, Nichols was promoted to vice president of UPS Air Group operations.
   Nichols has also chaired many industry committees including the Air Transport Association's Engineering, Maintenance and Material Council and the ATA's Joint Management Team, which is composed of senior industry leaders who meet to review rulemaking and policy issues.
   UPS operates one of the world's largest airlines, with more than 500 owned and chartered planes flying nearly 1,700 daily flight segments serving 766 airports globally.