It’s official: Oakland’s airport is now the San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.
The Oakland Port Commission, an independent government agency with authority over the city’s airport, made a unanimous final decision during a meeting on Thursday to change the 97-year-old airport’s name.
The commission preliminarily approved the idea last month after staff and some local business groups argued that the rebrand will help travelers understand Oakland’s proximity to San Francisco and the rest of the Bay Area and help draw more customers.
The name-change has provoked polarizing reactions from different corners of the Bay. It’s broadly supported by East Bay tourism agencies, OAK’s main airlines, and some elected officials. But it’s drawn negative feedback, for different reasons, from the Oakland NAACP and a coalition of environmental groups. And the San Francisco International Airport’s leaders have argued that the rebranding will confuse passengers trying to get to the west Bay city. San Francisco is pursuing a lawsuit against Oakland and the port, accusing them of infringing on San Francisco’s trademarks.
“To be clear, should the Port decide to proceed to finally adopt the renaming ordinance, my Office will move forward with the pending litigation and will seek a preliminary injunction to stop this violation of the City’s rights and protect the public from the harm that the ensuing confusion and travel chaos is very likely to cause,” San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu wrote in a letter earlier this week.
Oakland filed its own suit against San Francisco on Thursday and is seeking a ruling that its name change doesn’t infringe upon San Francisco Airport’s trademark. The port argues that San Francisco’s lawsuit is an attempt to “stop consumer education, prevent expanded air travel options for Bay Area residents and visitors, and is a misguided use of San Francisco taxpayer dollars.”
The port commissioners mostly did not address these concerns on Thursday. Commissioner Michael Colbruno said San Francisco doesn’t have a monopoly on the use of the name “San Francisco,” which he pointed out is used as a name by out of state companies and churches.
“The most important thing is, who does it benefit the most? Consumers,” Colbruno said.
Airport staff said the name change is necessary because the Port has struggled to make Oakland a destination for fliers. From 2008 through 2024, Oakland attracted 54 new direct flight routes but lost 45 destination routes.
Executive Director Danny Wan and other port staff said they met with dozens of Oakland community members and elected officials to discuss the name-change. One common objection is that the name change is disrespectful to Oakland and its culture and history Port staff said they agreed to continue finding ways to showcase Oakland’s culture and heroes at the airport.
Councilmember Noel Gallo told the commission he supported the name change “100 percent.”
“Certainly for me it’s about economic development, it’s about economic activity,” Gallo said. He added that he supports the airport’s proposed modernization and expansion plan, which could add up to 16 new terminal gates.
Representatives for several environmental groups have protested the rebranding. Sarah Small, an attorney with the nonprofit organization Communities for a Better Environment, said the airport violated the California Environmental Quality Act by approving a proposal intended to increase air traffic, and with it, air pollution.
“The port can and must change this pattern and instead invest in green transit,” Small said. “It is not a zero-sum game.”
A port attorney said CEQA doesn’t apply to the renaming proposal.
Resident John Templeton recommended the commission instead name the airport after William Felton Russell. Better known simply as Bill Russell, he was a celebrated member of the Boston Celtics who was raised in Oakland and attended McClymonds High School. Russell was also a prominent activist in the Civil Rights Movement.
The airport has defended its rebranding by citing support from its main airlines, including Southwest, Spirit, and Volaris. In recent weeks, the airport has also received letters in opposition to the name change from other domestic and international carriers and travel companies who worry the name change could confuse travelers.
“I am amazed about the fact that Oakland Airport’s is proposing a name change which, to my experience and knowledge in the field, will result in negative impact on customers,” said Quang Ha, a representative for Vietnam Airlines, in an email from April 8.
The airport received similar emails from Japan Airlines, Starlux Airlines, WestJet Airlines, and Aer Lingus, and from travel companies in Ireland, Mexico, and Germany.
