Senate Lawmakers Approve Of T.F. Green Airport Name Change

Rhode Island's only major airport could soon have a new name. On Thursday, Senate lawmakers approved a bill to rename T.F. Green Airport to "Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport."

The name appears to be a compromise after Rhode Islanders were in an uproar over a previous proposal to change the name of the airport to "Rhode Island International Airport."

"The airport is an economic engine for Warwick and Rhode Island and this opportunity to raise the airport’s brand awareness could attract even more domestic and international travelers to the Ocean State," said the bill's sponsor, Warwick Democratic Senator Michael McCaffrey. "More passengers means more dollars spent at Warwick and Rhode Island businesses."

The airport was renamed for U.S. Senator and Rhode Island Governor Theodore Francis Green in 1938. Built in 1931, the airport was originally called "Hillsgrove State Airport."

Airport executives and some lawmakers have pushed for the change as a way to appeal to local and international travelers as well as better represent the expanded airport.

Theodore F. Green II, a descendant of the airport's namesake, said his family is glad that the state will continue to honor his great-uncle.

"As a family, we are pleased that the Senate agrees that the honor bestowed on Senator Green some 80 years ago should remain as part of our state airport’s name forever," Green said.

T.F. Green has recently added several new flight patterns and airlines, including service to Las Vegas and New Orleans with Sun Country Airlines, direct service to the Dominican Republic and, most recently, seasonal "island-hopper" service to Nantucket.

The bill will now head to the House of Representatives, where companion legislation has been introduced by Cranston Democrat Charlene Lima.