After three years of trying to change the name of T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, state aviation officials may finally get their wish.
Officials such as Iftikhar Ahmad, R.I Airport Corp. CEO and president, have argued that the name change was needed so tourists and event planners in other parts of the country might recognize it, sending more travelers and their dollars into Rhode Island.
The devastating COVID-19 pandemic that has sapped tourism and air travel may finally persuade state lawmakers to take action.
Sponsors in both the House and Senate have reached an agreement on a name: “Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport.” Legislation filed in early March in both chambers would rename the state airport by adding a geographic identifier without stripping it of the name of the former governor and former U.S. senator, the late Theodore Francis Green.
If approved, this would not be the first name change for T.F. Green Airport. The airport was established in the early 1930s as Hillsgrove State Airport and later renamed for the former governor and former U.S. senator, who served as governor from 1933 to 1937 and U.S. senator from 1937 to 1961.
The sponsor of the House bill is Rep. Brian Kennedy, D-Westerly. On March 23, he said it was important to help the airport better market itself. But equally important, he said, was to not remove the Green name. The Green family had become upset at plans in 2018 to remove his name from the airport, given his contributions to the state, Kennedy said. Other representatives, including Rep. Charlene Lima, D-Providence, opposed discarding the Green name.
“The whole thing broke down,” Kennedy said.
In 2019, Lima tried to change legislation to rename the airport so that it would be the Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport. It was rejected.
Two years and one pandemic later, the same name is under consideration again, and Lima expects the change will be approved now.
In the Senate, the new legislation is sponsored by Majority Leader Michael J. McCaffrey, a Warwick Democrat.
In a statement, he said it was important to give the airport flexibility to better market itself to domestic and international travelers. “The airport is an economic engine for Warwick and Rhode Island and this [is an] opportunity to raise the airport’s brand awareness,” he said.
Indeed, tacking “Rhode Island” onto the name and adding “International” accomplishes what the airport needs for marketing without slighting the family, supporters say.
In a survey conducted for the airport in 2018, Pan Atlantic Research found that only 10% of U.S. respondents could identify either Rhode Island or Providence as associated with T.F. Green Airport. Outside the country, 87% of European respondents couldn’t associate Green with anything.
The hope now is that people will hear or read “Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport” and realize it is an airport that provides quick access to New England and top destinations such as Newport, Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket without having to deal with congestion in the Boston area.
“Basically, what you have now is the best of both worlds,” Kennedy said. “T.F. Green’s name doesn’t disappear. It stays. And it’s nicely buttressed between the name ‘Rhode Island’ and ‘International Airport.’ ”
That said, T.F. Green is an airport without international flights, at least for now. Air Canada canceled its seasonal service to Toronto last summer as the pandemic continued. That move followed Norwegian Airlines' decision in 2019 to end flights between Warwick and Dublin.
But there is hope that flights will increase once travelers gain confidence and book vacations and business trips.
Ahmad said in a statement that all costs of the name change will be covered by the airport corporation, which operates Green, not through the state budget.
Any upfront financial cost will be worth it in the end, according to Ahmad.
"A geographic location identifier will help strengthen demand by projecting T.F. Green Airport as a good alternative to Logan Airport [in Boston]," he said.
Mary MacDonald is a PBN staff writer. She can be reached at MacDonald@PBN.com.
