The promise of an extended runway at Warwick’s T.F. Green Airport and a 2018 boost in international flights have given way to declining passenger traffic and hope a name change might spur a reversal.
The airport has seen dips in passenger traffic before but the 8% decline through November of last year, compared with 2018, is disappointing. The nearly $250 million runway extension to accommodate long-range jets was supposed to help the airport build on recent growth.
To be fair, airport operators could not have anticipated the worldwide grounding of Boeing Co.’s 737 MAX last March, following deadly overseas crashes.
Smaller airports such as Green have felt the loss of the jet more than their bigger competitors. It allowed airlines to save costs that made smaller airports more viable options.
But airport operators say Green is also hurt by a lack of name recognition and limited awareness outside the local area of what it offers.
For two years airport operators have sought a name change to help better market Green internationally. State lawmakers, however, have been unable to agree on what it should be.
While it is hard to see how a name change will convince air carriers that Green can now accommodate long-range jets, even a small boost would be welcomed.
Toward that end, lawmakers need to agree on a name that airport operators think they can sell. And airport operators need to find better ways to get the word out that flying in or out of Green is a much more pleasant, and typically cheaper, experience than going through Boston.