Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport’s Terminal 3 will officially have a new name—the John S. McCain III Terminal. The Phoenix City Council voted unanimously today to approve a proposal made by Mayor Greg Stanton to make the name designation after Arizona’s iconic senior senator.
The Council first voted to support the proposal on Nov. 29, and it earned unanimous support from the city’s citizen-led Heritage Commission on Monday. The Heritage Commission is the board that reviews proposals to name City facilities.
“Senator McCain has given so much of himself to our country, to Arizona and to Phoenix. Giving something back to an American hero, a former naval aviator, and a 30-year member of the U.S. Senate is the least we can do,” said Mayor Greg Stanton. “It’s perfectly fitting that our busiest terminals at Sky Harbor would be named for two of Arizona’s best-known aviators and most impactful public servants – Senator Barry Goldwater and Senator John McCain.”
Sky Harbor’s Terminal 4, the airport’s busiest terminal, was named after Sen. Barry Goldwater. Like Goldwater, McCain served our nation as a military aviator, was nominated by his party for president and has been elected to represent Arizona in the United States Senate five times. The airport’s Executive Terminal is named for Phoenix civil rights leader Lincoln Ragsdale, Sr.
Terminal 3 is in the middle of a $590 million modernization to be completed by 2020. The long-outdated terminal will have a new south concourse with 15 new gates and a remodeled north concourse with all new shops and restaurants that will match the quality of what passengers now find in Terminal 4. On track with making Phoenix one of the most sustainable cities in the world, the terminal will also be energy-efficient, with LED lighting in every fixture.
