Palm Beach International Airport has a new name. A familiar plane made the first landing under it. Just after 5 a.m. on Thursday, July 9, 2026, President Donald Trump’s personal Boeing 757, known as “Trump Force One,” touched down at the newly renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport.
The airport sits about five miles west of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in West Palm Beach, Florida. The president himself was not on the plane. He had flown back to the White House about three hours earlier, returning from the NATO summit in Turkey, according to reports.
I am deeply honored that at 5:01 a.m., Trump Force One will be the first plane to land at the newly renamed Palm Beach International Airport — now and forever President Donald J. Trump International Airport (DJT).
There is no person who has done more for Florida and our country,… pic.twitter.com/MlmYIwv2oZ
— Eric Trump (@EricTrump) July 9, 2026
Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization, was on board instead. He posted on social media as the jet came in. He also shared audio of an air traffic controller announcing the change over the radio.
“Attention all aircraft, effective immediately, Palm Beach International Airport is now Donald J. Trump International Airport,” the controller said, according to the recording Eric Trump shared.
Donald Trump Jr. and Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donalds also flew on the plane, the New York Post reported.
“I am deeply honored that at 5:01 a.m., Trump Force One will be the first plane to land at the newly renamed Palm Beach International Airport, now and forever President Donald J. Trump International Airport (DJT),” Eric Trump wrote on X, according to Fox Business.
“There is no person who has done more for Florida and our country, and no one more deserving of this incredible honor,” he added. Fox Business also reported that Eric Trump said he flies through the airport “nearly every day.”
How the name change happened
The rename traces back to legislation passed in February 2026 by Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law, the New York Post reported.
An official notice from West Palm Beach, dated March 31, 2026, said DeSantis signed the bill a day earlier, on March 30. The law handed the State of Florida authority over naming major commercial airports, including Palm Beach International.
From there, the Federal Aviation Administration began switching the airport’s code from PBI to DJT as the new name took effect Thursday, Fox Business reported.
What Trump stands to gain
NPR and its member stations looked into what the president gets out of having his name on the terminal. Their reporting found that Palm Beach County can use the name and logo freely. However, Trump is barred from collecting royalties on any merchandise sold at the airport.
The New York Post described the facility as an 89-year-old hub, one of the busiest in the region. Local station WPTV had reported on July 1, 2026, that the switch to Donald J. Trump International would take place July 9.
Fox News reported that Eric Trump called landing the first flight an emotional moment for the family. He tied it to his father’s long history in Florida.
As of the New York Post’s Thursday morning report, President Trump himself had not yet landed at the airport that now carries his name.
