With 24 hours to spare, some might have suspected a joke. But no! On March 31st, the management of Palm Beach Airport – not far from Mar-a-Lago – made the news official: it will indeed be renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport, as had been rumoured for several weeks.
To achieve this, Ron DeSantis had to bring about a legislative change. The Florida governor – and former Republican primary candidate against... Donald Trump – signed a law on March 30th. This law transfers the power to appoint major commercial airports to the State of Florida. It will come into effect from July 1st.er next July, but remains subject to obtaining all the required authorisations, notably that of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
In itself, the new airport designation does not fundamentally change the passenger experience. Besides, the airport code remains unchanged: PBI, for Palm Beach International Airport. Nevertheless, the airport management warns that a separate federal bill concerning this code has been presented.
"We remain committed to providing a safe, efficient, and welcoming experience for all travellers," said Palm Beach County Mayor Sara Baxter. As the airport is set to change its name, it will continue to be the trusted gateway our community relies on." .
According to American media, who are relying on estimates from PBI spokesperson Rebeca Krogman, this name change will cost approximately $5.5 million (€4.75 million). This is a necessary investment to change, in particular, signage, uniforms, promotional materials, and other IT systems.
It now remains to be seen whether Washington Dulles International Airport will follow suit – a bill was presented to Congress with this objective on 23 January – or if other international hubs... like Caracas?
