Oklahoma City’s largest airport is changing its name as it continues to see record-breaking boarding numbers and prepares to begin international service.
The name change, which still requires final approval from the Oklahoma City City Council on Tuesday, changes the airport’s name from Will Rogers World Airport – a name coined in the 1960s – to OKC Will Rogers International Airport.
In a recent presentation to the Oklahoma City Airport Trust, CEO Jeff Mulder said the new branding was chosen after months of public surveys and discussions with local and out-of-town travelers.
“We looked at that by marketing ourselves outside of Oklahoma City,” Mulder said. “Everyone outside of Oklahoma City knows what Will Rogers World Airport is, but outside of Oklahoma City it wasn’t very well known, so we wanted to incorporate the Oklahoma City name.”
The name and branding change coincided with the airport trust’s website update and the construction of a federal inspection station at the airport that will be staffed by Customs and Border Protection. Airport officials had previously talked about looking further south as airlines add more service to Mexico. Oklahoma City is home to the consulates of Guatemala and Mexico.
The airport completed an expansion of its terminal in 2021, which included a gate and jetway for international flights. The latest phase of construction includes an area on the lower level of the terminal to process international passengers for entry into the United States.
Mulder said the redesign effort incorporated survey responses from more than 6,000 people.
“The logo we have today is Will Rogers with a rope around the world,” Mulder said. “It’s a great logo. But from the feedback we’ve received, it conveys a cowboy image.”
Rather than portraying Oklahoma City as a cowboy town, consultants looked at the connection between Will Rogers and aviation. Mulder said the new logo includes a stylized “K” with a curve inspired by the turns of the planes Rogers and pilot Wiley Post had flown.
The new branding will also update the colors to match the palette used in Matt Goad’s terrazzo murals in the east terminal expansion area, as well as the stone, wood and tile used to decorate the remodeled airport terminal. The branding will also incorporate the state bird, the scissor-tailed flycatcher.
Subject to city council approval, the new name and logo will be introduced at the same time as the airport’s website is updated, according to Mulder.
Barbara Peck and Matt Hinkle, council members on the airport’s board of directors, said the change was bittersweet because it involved eliminating the word “world.” Mulder said the change reflected a preference for the word “international” at other airports.
“I’m sad to see ‘World’ go, but if it brings international travel here, it’s a win,” Hinkle said. “Coming from a graphic arts background, I think it’s very bold and readable.”
