KILLEEN, Texas — The Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport will soon have a new name.
At a meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 26, the Killeen City Council voted to change the name of the airport, also known as GRK, to Killeen Regional Airport.
The name change is part of a major rebranding effort which will also reportedly include a new website.
The decision to change the name comes in the wake of Fort Hood changing its name to Fort Cavazos, following a federal mandate to change the name of military installations named after Confederate figures.
While cities are not included in the mandate and are not obligated to change names or titles, GRK said they decided to do so as part of a rebranding effort that started before the mandate went into effect.
“The airport was originally named Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport because of our connection with Fort Hood,” Executive Director of Aviation Mike Wilson told the Council. “Since (the name) Fort Hood no longer exists, this is an opportunity to change the name.
“One of the issues we’ve always had historically is that, even though the airport is 19 years old, people still think because of the name, the airport is that it’s a military airport and they can’t use it, or if they know they can use it, it’s on post and have to go through the checkpoint," Wilson continued. "So this gives us an opportunity to correct that.”
Both the names Killeen Regional Airport and Greater Killeen Regional Airport were reportedly chosen to present to the City Council, having been selected through two focus groups, survey feedback from 80 stakeholders and interviews with dozens of passengers at the airport.
GRK opened in 2004 as part of a partnership with Fort Hood, which allowed the airport to use runways and taxiways from Fort Hood's Robert Gray Airfield. Robert Gray Airfield is named after Robert "Bob" Gray, a Killeen pilot and WWII veteran who flew in the famous Doolittle Raid over Tokyo in 1942.
The 10,000-foot runway reportedly allows the airport to safely land most of the largest jets currently in use.
GRK is currently serviced by American Airlines, which provides daily flights to and from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
For more information visit www.flyGRK.com or www.KilleenTexas.gov.
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