# International (not interstate) Airports

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-not-interstate-airports/4733>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 5, 1999, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-not-interstate-airports/4733 "1999-11-05T22:56:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\
**Post date:** [November 14, 1999, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-not-interstate-airports/4733/21 "1999-11-14T16:51:00Z")

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Well, as usual, a lot of opinions, with no facts, such as citations to the CFR or US Code.

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**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2000, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-not-interstate-airports/4733/22 "2000-09-09T02:31:17Z")

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_Here’s_ an old post to dig up from out of the mud! But in the interest of closure, I wanted you to all know I found the answer!

Looking through the Bolingbrook anniversery calendar at work today, I noticed one month was dedicated to Clow Field. According to whoever wrote the calendar, Clow International airport was named as such because the pilots were Czech, Polish, Swedes… etc. So apparently, you don’t need to do anything to call yourself an international airport except have a poor sense of humor.

Or else Clow is in violation of some FAA ruling.

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**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2000, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-not-interstate-airports/4733/23 "2000-09-09T02:46:25Z")

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I can tell you one thing. When you sail your boat into another country , you cannot just go to any port, you _have_ to first clear customs _and_ immigration at a port which has such facilities. It is the same coming to the US, you first have to clear at a port that has customs and immigration. I would think this would be the same for airports and you cannot just fly to _any_ airport but only to one that has the required bureaucrats.

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**Author:** ![blahedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a4c791/32.png) [@blahedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blahedo)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2000, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-not-interstate-airports/4733/24 "2000-09-09T03:25:50Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by BobT \*  
> **I believe also that an airport designated “International” has to be open 24 hours a day. However, I don’t now if the FAA or ITU still have this rule.**

T.F. Green International Airport in Providence (actually, Warwick), RI is not open 24 hours a day. The concourse is closed from 1-5am, and the outer area is (I believe) closed off except for people whose flights got cancelled. I know, I slept there once, and they woke me up at 1 to tell me I had to move. Why, I have no idea.

But anyway, the upshot is, it’s not open 24 hours. It does, however, have a customs agent.

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