Tourism chief calls for Cardiff Airport to be renamed
06.07.05
John Wake, director of Cardiff Capital and Regional Tourism, which promotes Cardiff and South East Wales, yesterday called for Cardiff Airport to be named after a famous Welshman. Wake said: 'Wales should rename Cardiff airport after one of its famous sons or daughters.'
Mr Wake has just come back from Washington where he landed at Reagan or Dulles airports. He flew to New York's JFK Airport. Here in the UK we have John Lennon Airport in Liverpool and Robin Hood Airport in Doncaster. Mr Wake believes it would be enormously beneficial to the Welsh economy and would provide Wales with a brand to attract visitors.
Mr Wake has said 'The most surprising one to me is Doncaster's Robin Hood Airport. That to me is a dynamic name, it's amazing - cheek in the extreme. Surely we could do something like that in Wales but it has to be someone known worldwide, it can't be parochial.'
'I would like to see it named King Arthur Airport because that is a name that is known around the world, although that might not work. It is difficult to think of a name that is known and respected around the world. Perhaps Richard Burton would work, but it has to be worth doing and a name of quality,' he added.
Doncaster's Robin Hood Airport, Britain's newest airport, opened this year at a cost of £80m. The airport is already becoming well known because it is named after such a famous character, who spent much of his life in and around not just Sherwood Forest and Nottingham but Doncaster too.
Mr Wake added: 'Is there someone that has a powerful enough name to justify renaming Cardiff Airport to make Wales more identifiable? You certainly know when you fly to the States the people associated with the airports, and it livens it up a lot. You fly to John F Kennedy in New York and there is a certain draw there. What I am saying is we should do it if there is someone who is known worldwide, and would actually be a benefit and asset to renaming Cardiff International Airport.'
Vincent Rey, sales and marketing manager at Cardiff Airport said: 'It has been a trend in recent times in the UK, with Liverpool and Doncaster taking the lead, to rename airports after famous people .It is something we have considered and we have mused over it, debating whether it would be beneficial in promoting the airport and Wales.'
Mr Rey said that that the airport has had discussions at management level on a name change, but hadn't found any concrete argument in favour of changing the name or not. He did not rule out changing the airport's name in the future.
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