Phoenix city council approves naming Sky Harbor airport terminal after John McCain
Local lawmakers approved naming Sky Harbor's Terminal 3 after the senator.
— -- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport's Terminal 3 is undergoing a massive $590 million renovation, and along with that pricey facelift, will likely be a new name: The John S. McCain III Terminal.
Phoenix City Council unanimously voted in favor Wednesday of naming Terminal 3 after Sen. John McCain. The Republican lawmaker, 81, has been representing the state since 1987. The plan to rename the terminal now advances to a heritage commission, which will hold a hearing on the matter.
![PHOTO: A rendering of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport's Terminal 3 when its $590 million facelift is complete. The City Council voted to name it after Sen. John McCain.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/Politics/ht_PHX_dc_113017.jpg)
"Proud that tonight my colleagues and I unanimously approved a plan to name Sky Harbor Airport's Terminal 3 in honor of a great American and lifelong public servant, @SenJohnMcCain," Phoenix mayor Greg Stanton tweeted Wednesday night.
Terminal 3's renovation is expected to be complete by 2020. It will include a remodeled concourse, new shops, restaurants and energy efficient lighting, ABC affiliate KNXV reported.
Terminal 4 is named after Barry Goldwater, another long-serving Republican senator from the state who also ran for president.
![PHOTO: FILE - In this Nov. 8, 2016 file photo, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., accompanied by his wife Cindy McCain, pauses after speaking in Phoenix.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/Politics/ap_mccains_dc_072117.jpg)
In an announcement earlier this month, Stanton said, "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."
Councilman Jim Waring echoed Stanton's sentiments. "Sky Harbor Airport is one of America's busiest airports and is a point of pride for Phoenicians," according to KNXV. "As such, there is no greater honor the city can bestow than to name one of its terminals after a community leader."
McCain was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer earlier this year.