"The people of Hastings and the people of Napier should have equal say in the matter," he says.
Mana Ahuriri met with the board last year to outline their desire for a name change, based on their historical connection with the area where the facility sits and the significance to them of the bay's inner harbour.
That meeting prompted Mr Porter to arrange for the group to meet with the two councils to discuss its request.
After those meetings, the councils reported back that they "had no objections to the name change at some future time and requested the matter be further investigated," Mr Porter says.
Those further investigations resulted in the board concluding that the name change would not need to be an expensive process, in part because any signage changes could coincide with a planned multi-million redevelopment of the airport terminal, scheduled to be completed by the end of next year.
Mr Porter says if the name is changed, people will continue to refer to the airport as Hawke's Bay Airport or Napier Airport.
He rejects claims it could lead to traveller confusion, comparing it to the naming situation with the hospital which he says he calls Hastings Hospital and his wife calls Memorial Hospital.
"Despite that, we still manage to find each other there," he says.
The airport company flagged its terminal upgrade plans last year, saying they were needed to cope with growing passenger numbers.
A record 456,000 passengers passed through the facility during the last financial year and that number is predicted to grow to 509,000 in the 2017-18 year, and to 800,000 in 2030.
The airport is currently working on a business case for the upgrade and has capped the development costs at $5 million over the next two years, although Mr Porter said he hoped the costs would come in at less than that.
It is working closely with major customer Air New Zealand on the carrier's requirements for the new facility, but is also leaving the door open to other operators, taking a "building block" approach to the development so the requirements of other businesses could be added in as needed.
Related development work at the airport includes replacement of the rescue fire station building, which has a low seismic rating, and the construction of a new rental car wash and valet facility for about $725,000.
Replacing the current rental car wash building, which is shared by Hertz and Avis, and moving it away from its present site adjacent to the carpark, would allow for an improvement to parking services, Mr Porter says.
Air New Zealand were "very keen" on the airport's upgrade plans, and the airline's architects had been working with those hired by the airport to ensure final plans met the needs of both organisations.
"We hope to have the business case finalised by the end of this financial year (June 30)," Mr Porter said.
The company recognised the airport's significance as the gateway to the region and accepted that the terminal did not currently offer a "strong sense of Hawke's Bay" to visitors arriving in the province, or for those local travellers returning home.
The company's architects had been asked to incorporate a "sense of place" into their design plans.
"All our board members are rooted in the bay and we all want to make the airport as welcoming as we can," Mr Porter said.
