A longtime employee at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport will be the new executive director of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority, which manages the airport in Unity and the Rostraver Airport.
Maurice “Moe” Haas, 60, the airport authority manager, was unanimously promoted to executive director by the authority board on Tuesday, succeeding longtime executive director Gabe Monzo. The board did not announce the salary Haas will receive when he takes over the new position at the beginning of May.
“You deserve it,” said Ed Kilkeary, airport authority member.
Replacing Monzo had been discussed in many meetings and Haas was the most qualified person for the job, said Richard Pologruto, authority board member.
Haas, a 35-year employee, said he started in the airport’s maintenance department and then became the airport’s public safety director. He has been airport manager since February 2022.
Monzo, who has served as the executive director of the airport authority since 2008, had announced his intention in December 2025 to retire as of April 30. He had recommended Haas as his successor.
“We’re going to try to continue what we’ve been doing here at the airport for a lot of years,” Haas said. “I’ve got big shoes to fill,” he added, referring to Monzo.
Haas said that Monzo hopefully will still be around somewhat so that he can get some helpful advice when needed.
Haas steps into the executive director’s role at a time when the airport authority is in the midst of a $24 million project to expand the terminal, create more space for seating for passengers and increase space for the Transportation Security Administration agents. The expansion will add two new gates that will allow for two airplanes to serve passengers at the same time.
The project currently is in its first phase, which is scheduled to be finished in May or June, Haas said.
“What we’re going to try to do is maintain what we have or increase the airline traffic that we have here,” Haas said.
To that end, Monzo said Tuesday that Volaire Aviation Consultants and airport personnel have had video discussions with five airlines since December. That includes Spirit Airlines, the lone commercial carrier serving Arnold Palmer Regional, Monzo said.
As part of the ongoing efforts to attract another carrier to Palmer Regional, Monzo said they provided marketing briefs to the airlines and have exchanged emails in the past week.
Monzo declined to identify the other airlines that they have been talking with to add another carrier at Arnold Palmer Regional.
Spirit Airlines, which serves Orlando with five flights a weekly, remains in bankruptcy court as it attempts to reorganize its finances. Spirit has said intends to add seasonal flights to Myrtle Beach in April.
