New Panama City International Airport Gets a New Name

We are all very excited for the new Panama City International Airport and many were wondering what the new airport would be called. On Wednesday morning October 7, 2009 a special Airport Authority meeting was held solely for the purpose of finalizing the new name for the new airport. For months, this has been a topic of intense debate and there are hundreds of opinions of what the new name should be.
The most obvious favorite of the bunch was Emerald Coast International, and this name’s popularity rang true with the Airport Authority’s submissions as well. 5 names total were submitted to the board for review today: Emerald Coast International Airport, Northwest Florida International Airport, Florida International Airport, Florida Beaches International Airport and Beaches International Airport. It was reported that the Emerald Coast International could not be used for legal reasons, but those reasons were not disclosed.
The Airport Authority discussed the need for a name that had regional application, but still defined where the traveler was coming to. A name that was regional in nature is needed to entice low-cost carriers to our area because it has the insinuation of a broader service base. The new airport will very much serve our area in a regional way attracting those whose final destination could range anywhere from Pensacola to Tallahassee and beyond.
The new name for the new Panama City Airport is…
Northwest Florida – Panama City International Airport
“After listening to the extensive feedback and gathering suggestions from the community, we decided to go with a name that reflects the geographic area the new airport will serve,” said Airport Authority Chairman Joe Tannehill. “This truly is Northwest Florida’s international airport and will be this region’s gateway to the world – and the world’s gateway to our region,” said Airport Authority Vice Chairman Bill Cramer.
With the new name also comes a new three letter airport identifier code. This has yet to be chosen but Randy Curtis said that PCI is available.
I am very excited to see the airport become even closer to a reality and will offer an entirely new era of travel to our region of Florida.  The positive impact this new airport will have on our area will change us forever.