The Porter County Municipal Airport Authority is changing the name of the airport to the Porter County Regional Airport.

The new name is intended to reflect the broader region that the airport now serves. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved the name change effective April 5.

“Our airport serves as a gateway to the region, and the name change better reflects the opportunity that the airport has to offer in its support of regional economic growth.” Airport Director Kyle J. Kuebler said. “The development of the airport over the last 60 years has yielded a runway infrastructure that supports air carrier type aircraft and the largest business jet. This allows the airport to better fulfill its mission of air transportation access to our community, and how that relates to increased business activity for our region.”

“The Porter County Regional name change will serve to build a stronger awareness as to the viable asset that this airport represents, complimenting the nationally integrated transportation/logistics networks found here in our region of the Midwest,” said Airport Authority President Paul R. Chael. “This change will also create more recognition for the airport’s vital role as a catalyst for enhancing local economic growth.”

Porter County’s airport was established in 1949. It has a primary east-west runway of 7,000 feet and a secondary runway of 4,000 feet. The airport was named the 2008 Indiana Airport Of The Year by the Aviation Association of Indiana (AAI).