Six-Year Battle Between Rival Airports Over Shared Name Finally Ends
On 6/1/21 at 3:14 PM EDT
At least six years after it began, the bitter dispute between Orlando International Airport (MCO) and the now-former Orlando Melbourne International Airport (MLB) over the similarity of their respective names has been resolved.
Per the terms of the settlement, MLB will switch the first and second words in its name to more clearly differentiate itself from MCO. In addition, MLB will be required to revise its branding and trademarks to reflect the change, according to
Florida Today article.
The two airports are separated from each other by a distance of about 70 miles. While MCO serves the theme park hub Orlando, which consistently ranks among the country's top tourist destinations, MLB is based in the lesser-known city of Melbourne. In fact, it was known as Melbourne International Airport until 2015.