Cape Air News & PR

Cape Air Named Top 100 Woman-Led Business

Hyannis – Cape Air is pleased and proud to announce that it has been designated as a Top 100 Women-Led Business in Massachusetts. Linda Markham is the President and CEO of the airline. She was ranked 60 out of the 100 female business leaders.

Cape Air was founded in 1989 by Dan Wolf. Markham joined the company in 2002 as the Director of Human Resources and was instrumental in developing a strategic plan and building a team to support the airline’s rapid expansion. In 2004, she was named Chief Administrative Officer and in 2013 was selected to serve as its President, overseeing the company’s daily operations and directing its interim and long-term strategic planning.  On January 1, 2022, Markham was named CEO and President, making her the only female CEO of an airline in the United States.

She steered a strategic workforce development relationship with Leadership in Flight Training (LIFT) Academy; this partnership was established to promote workforce development in aviation and provide greater opportunities to commercial airline careers, as cost and accessibility remain barriers to entry for the industry – especially for those underrepresented in the aviation industry, including female commercial pilots, who comprise only 5% of the active airline workforce in the US.  The partnership also enhances Cape Air’s pilot sourcing initiative, which has been a significant focus for the airline and the industry for the past 13 years.

Markham and her leadership team are also credited with establishing a relationship with Cape Cod Community College’s Aviation Maintenance Technology program, which helps to fill the critical need for skilled aviation technicians. Cape Air has donated three retired aircraft to the college’s program so that students receive hands-on training and experience. The company most recently donated a Cessna 402 aircraft in October 2023.

“It is an honor for Cape Air to receive this recognition for Top 100 Women-Led Businesses. I am proud to serve on boards that champion opportunities for women in the aviation industry.  I am also extremely grateful to the leadership team I work with and consider myself fortunate to work for an organization that truly embraces the belief that we should Make Our Customers Happy and Have a Good Time Doing It, or ‘MOCHA HAGoTDI,’’ said Markham.  

Passionate about advancing opportunities for women in the aviation industry, she has served as Board Chair for Women in Aviation International (WAI) and was the first woman to serve as Chair of the Board for the Regional Airline Association (RAA).

The Women’s Edge, a nonprofit organization committed to advancing all women in leadership positions, selected Cape Air as a Top 100 Women-Led Company in Massachusetts based on Markham’s outstanding leadership. All 100 winners were announced and recognized at a breakfast at The Marriott Copley Hotel in Boston on Friday, November 3, 2023.