Airfoil having porous metal filled cavities

A turbine airfoil used in a gas turbine engine includes a plurality of cavities opening in a direction facing the airfoil surface, each cavity having cooling holes communicating with an internal cooling fluid passage of the airfoil, and the airfoil surface above the cavity being a thermal barrier coating and having a plurality of cooling holes communicating with the cavity, where each cavity is filled with a porous metal or foam metal material. Heat is transferred from the airfoil surface to the porous metal, and a cooling fluid passing through the porous metal attracts heat from the porous metal and flows out the holes and onto the airfoil surface to cool the airfoil.