By Michael Garko, In Airline News
Board members voted Tuesday morning to change the name of Little Rock National Airport. The Arkansas airport will soon be known as Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport.
A possible design for the airport's entrance. Photo by Little Rock National Airport.
“Hillary and I are humbled by the Little Rock Airport Commission’s decision this morning,” President Bill Clinton says in a statement. “We are grateful for this honor and for all that the people of Arkansas have done for us. And we look forward to many happy landings at the airport in the years ahead.”
“Bill and Hillary Clinton not only devoted years of service to Arkansas, but have served the nation as a two-term President, and as First Lady, U.S. Senator, and Secretary of State – that’s a legacy of which all Arkansans can be proud,” said Jim Dailey, chairman of the Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission in a Arkansas News report. “The Clintons continue to have a major impact on our state and our local economy, and we believe renaming our airport in their honor is a fitting way to recognize their service and their position in Arkansas and our nation’s history.”
Airport officials will begin working with the Federal Aviation Administration to change the name as soon as possible. The name change will coincide with the current construction as part of the airport’s 2020 Master Plan. Little Rock will still use the ICAO designator KLIT once the renaming is complete.
Other airports that have been named after previous U.S. presidents include Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield, Ill.; John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City; Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, Mich.; Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C.; George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas; and Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport in Dickinson, N.D.
FOLLOW: Be sure to follow In Airline News on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and updates.
