A recent Shreveport Times letter to the editor suggested renaming the Shreveport Regional Airport for civil rights pioneer Dr. C.O. Simpkins.
I knew Dr. Simpkins when he was alive and had learned his history in the civil rights movement here in Shreveport. The idea appealed to me.
I addressed this issue to Wade Davis, Shreveport Airport Authority Director of Airports. He responded:
“Mr. Settle,
“Here’s what I found in relation to your request as to an airport name-change process:
• The Airport Authority Board votes on a name change,
• The City of Shreveport Council votes on a name change,
• An FAA process begins that takes 6-12 months to execute (note: The Federal Aviation Administration must also approve the name change before the airport can proceed with re-branding)
• For ‘international’ airports there is another step requiring designation by 19 CFR Chapter I, §122.13 which lists international airports as designated by the Secretary of the Treasury. (I have requested but not yet received additional information as of this writing)
“Most airports nationwide (with a few exceptions — Louisville) are trending AWAY from renaming airports after specific individuals as airports renamed for individuals are not known outside of the host community and it impedes inbound traffic due to search difficulties. I have included links below to some relevant articles:
https://www.providencejournal.com/opinion/20200225/editorial-change-airports-name-already
https://www.flyvps.com/flyvps-name-change-research/
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/12/city-or-celebrity-branding-goals-fuel-airport-name-changes.html
https://www.rdrnews.com/2019/09/14/city-removes-international-from-airport-name/
“I also found that terminals are often dedicated for specific notable individuals, and I would respectfully suggest that this might be a more appropriate option for future consideration.”
In a follow-up email, Davis advised that the dedication of the terminal in honor of Dr. Simpkins would only require approval of the Shreveport Airport Authority Board of Directors and the Shreveport City Council.
The members of the airport authority board are Jonathan Reynolds, Margaret Shehee, Mary Jackson, Oliver Jenkins and Waynette Ballengee. Readers who support this idea are invited to contact these individuals.
Readers may also send comments to wade.davis@shreveportla.gov, for distribution to the authority board members.