The Rogue Valley International Airport in Medford, Ore., has been international in name only since 2003.
It became an international airport in January 1995 when the U.S. Department of Commerce authorized a foreign trade zone with customs clearance and a port of entry for international travelers. Businesses could receive imported goods duty-free and store them at the airport until they were needed.
The customs office had opened three months earlier and received a test shipment of cut flowers from Colombia. In March 1995, the first international passenger flight arrived in a private plane from Canada with a pilot and one passenger. Also in 1995, the county held a contest for renaming the airport and chose the name Rogue Valley International Airport as suggested by contestants Rosemary Harrington and Jim Rock.
A combination of factors, including the 9/11 terrorist attacks and formation of the North American Free Trade Agreement created a lack of demand for duty-free storage services at the airport. That resulted in the U.S. Customs shutting down its offices in 2003.
Airport administrators have said if the need arises, the airport’s international services could be reactivated through a long administrative process.
Sources: The History of Rogue Valley International -- Medford. Jackson County Airport Authority, 1995. Web. 22 Sept. 2016. file:///C:/Users/Kernan/Downloads/Airport%20History%20by%20Hattie%20Becker%20(1).pdf; "Old Trade Center is Inactive." Mail Tribune, 18 Mar. 2012 [Medford, Ore.] . Accessed 23 Oct. 2016. www.mailtribune.com/article/20120318/NEWS/203180332
