Palm Beach International Airport officially became President Donald J. Trump International Airport on July 9, 2026, when a Florida state law took effect. The Federal Aviation Administration authorized the change and now lists the facility under the code "DJT" instead of "PBI," according to NPR.

The rebrand followed roughly five months of legislative work. Florida lawmakers approved the renaming bill on February 19, 2026, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law on March 30, and U.S. Rep. Brian Mast introduced federal legislation the same day to formally change the airport's three-letter code from PBI to DJT, Reuters reported.

For passengers, the transition is happening in phases. The IATA code change—the identifier airlines and ticketing systems use—is scheduled for August 18, 2026. Until then, the airport has advised travelers to continue using "PBI" for bookings and baggage tags. The airport's FAQ page indicated final FAA approval was expected July 9, the same date the state law took effect. Physical transition work includes updates to signage, branding and public materials.

Airport officials have called the change a "branding change only," with no effect on ownership or daily operations. The facility served more than 8 million passengers annually across more than a dozen airlines before the renaming took effect, according to NPR.

County records show the renaming was discussed at the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners' meeting on May 5, 2026, with a specification that the name change would cost the county nothing. A separate county legislative report dated July 1, 2026, put the total cost of the rename at $5.5 million. The released documents do not clarify who is paying that $5.5 million if not the county.

The airport is one of several Trump-branded changes to the local geography. A 4-mile stretch of Southern Boulevard connecting the airport to Mar-a-Lago was renamed for Trump in January 2026, and the president attended a ceremony marking that change, according to AP News. The Trump family business filed for trademark rights covering airports in February 2026, AP News reported. A separate legislative push to rename Washington Dulles International Airport after Trump has also surfaced, which could result in two federally recognized airports carrying some form of the Trump name at the same time.

The renaming is being challenged in court. NPR reported two separate local lawsuits are pending over the name change, though the details—including who is suing, what legal arguments are being made, and the current status of each case—have not been disclosed. Palm Beach International Airport had operated under that name for more than 50 years, and Trump is now the first sitting U.S. president to have a commercial airport named after him while in office, per NPR.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted about the renaming on X, including a photo of an updated highway sign directing drivers to the airport.

The practical timeline here matters. The FAA's administrative designation and the Florida statute both took effect immediately on July 9. But the operational code that airlines, booking systems and baggage handlers actually use won't switch until mid-August. That gap means two names for the same facility could be simultaneously accurate depending on which system is queried—the kind of administrative overlap that tends to create confusion at ticket counters and in reservation systems even after the political question has been settled.

The pending lawsuits add a layer of uncertainty that the administrative schedule doesn't address. Neither NPR's report nor the county documents released so far indicate when court decisions might come, or whether litigation could affect signage, branding contracts or the federal designation the FAA has already granted. Whether courts intervene before the IATA code switch in August, or after airlines and travel platforms have already incorporated the change, could determine how disruptive any adverse ruling turns out to be.