Palm Beach International becomes President Donald J. Trump International Airport, triggering a 90-day FAA compliance clock

Palm Beach International was renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport on July 9, and its FAA and ICAO identifiers changed from PBI/KPBI to DJT/KDJT. But the date that operators should be paying attention to is October 7. That’s when the FAA’s 90-day window to update certificates, authorizations, flight-planning systems and other operational documents closes. The renaming will draw much public attention, but the compliance deadline is what operators need to focus on most. The changes affect all three identifiers (FAA, ICAO and IATA) but not all at the same time. The FAA and ICAO codes were changed to KDJT and DJT respectively on July 9th. The IATA code, the three-letter code that passengers see on boarding passes and bag tags, will change later in the year. The FAA has given operators and air agencies 90 days to comply. The FAA’s air traffic control system, En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM), will alias the old identifier to the new one so that flight plans will still route, but only if filers use KDJT. This change affects Part 91K, 135, and 125 operators, flight departments, and the FBOs and handlers at DJT. The work involved goes well beyond updating a flight plan. The FAA says all documents and systems that reference the airport should be reviewed, including: OpSpecs, MSpecs and LOAs in the FAA safety systemsAir agency, air carrier, and operating certificates that name the field Nav databases and the current chart cycle Flight-planning software and profiles, and dispatch and scheduling systems Website, marketing and any published airport references The October deadline is more important to operators than the timing of the first identifier flip. That’s when housekeeping turns to regulation and where non-compliant operators get caught.