April 23--SOUTH BEND -- South Bend Regional Airport is changing its name -- to South Bend International.
Tom Botkin, airport authority board president, announced the change at a press conference Wednesday morning during which the airport unveiled its new logo.
As part of the transition, the airport will begin a multi-million dollar project to add a general aviation facility and a federal inspection station, or border customs. The airport will receive some federal and state funds for the project, according to Executive Director Mike Daigle.
The process, which has taken about 18 to 20 months, began shortly after Daigle joined the airport as executive director in 2012.
"We have been working diligently to get all the necessary approvals from the federal government and U.S. Customs and Border Protection," he said, explaining that once the final designs are approved, the airport will accept bids from construction companies.
Construction could get under way in the next two months and work might take anywhere from six to nine months to complete, said Daigle, adding that the time frame is difficult to predict.
Two airlines have already expressed interest -- during initial conversations with the airport team -- in routes to Mexico and the Bahamas. Once the federal inspection station is completed, the airport will renew the discussions in earnest, Daigle said.
The airport also will look at the potential of service to Ireland and Europe and approach airlines to see if service to Toronto is feasible.
Within a few years, 30,000 to 40,000 international travelers could be beginning and ending their trips in South Bend, according to an airport review of travel patterns. If that happens, Daigle said, the economic impact of the additional traffic could be more than $100 million annually.
Meanwhile, Daigle doesn't expect the airport's new designation to have either a positive or negative effect on its continued attempts to attract service to New York City or to re-engage a westbound service.
But it could enhance the area's ability to attract business to Michiana.
"It sort of elevates our status in the minds of people looking at our area," said Jeff Rea, president and CEO of the St. Joseph County Chamber of Commerce. "There are a limited number of airports that have this distinction in the U.S. and it differentiates us when we are competing with places like, say, Wooster, Ohio."
And, for those who are already located here, he said, it opens up new markets and new opportunities for travel.
"All those things sort of help us as we're growing the area," Rea said. "It helps to let people from the outside know that this is a pretty good-sized community."
U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Jimtown, agreed.
"This is a long-awaited piece of good news for South Bend," she said. "Folks have talked about this for decades. So often, we have to look to Indianapolis, Detroit or Chicago for international connections."
Instead, this new designation positions Michiana as a driving force in the economy statewide, she said. And, in the long-term, it means jobs, especially in the aviation, tourism and hospitality industries.
"You know how they call Indiana 'the Crossroads of America' because of our transportation grid," she said. "I think it's incredible that South Bend could very, very quickly be the crossroads of the world."
County Commissioner Andy Kostielney said that oftentimes, airports give visitors both the first and last impressions of a community.
"We've got an opportunity to show not only folks in the region, but folks worldwide, what a great community St. Joseph County is," he said at the press conference.
South Bend Deputy Mayor Mark Neal also commended the push for international service, stating that it's one more step in the path to making South Bend "a more international, a more global place." Mishawaka Mayor Dave Wood echoed the same sentiments, calling the airport a gateway for both residents and local businesses to interact with the world.
Copyright 2014 - South Bend Tribune, Ind.
