CVT > Frank Whittle International?

[Flightmapping]

Following news about the TUI takeover of Coventry Airport, what would everyone think about a campaign to re-name it Coventry Frank Whittle International?

After all, West Midlands International has always been an inappropriate name, bearing in mind that the airport is almost as East as East Midlands, and BHX is clearly the largest airport in the region. Also, CVT isn't technically in the West Midlands anyway (unfortunately for planning issues). I know Prestwick calls itself "Scotland Airport", but shouldn't CVT be taking inspiration from the jet engine pioneer who was born in the city, and whose invention has helped all of us to fly so much further?

On a wider issue, why are so few of our airports (LPL John Lennon the only one I can think of) named after people, rather than just the suburb they are situated in? If Bush Snr can get IAH named after him without even being dead yet, surely we can find some far more worthy characters to name our airports after?

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

Its a nasty foreign affectation to apply names to airports other than related to their location.

Stick to Coventry I say.

I've never actually heard of anyone refer to Liverpool Airport as "I'm flying into Lennon" or suchlike. Best thing EMA ever did was change itself to Nottingham Airport - at least now pax in Spain, CzechR and Italy considering easy or Baby scheduled services will have a clue as to where they go to...

Cheers

WWW

[gawain]

Im not sure whether commercially it makes sense but aviation wise its a great idea.

My memory isnt what it was but im sure there was a BY aircraft named "Sir Frank Whittle" too, but less sure of the reason but I've got a feeling it was because there was some special connection to the company.

[DB6]

Just as long as they don't call it Nelson f***ing Mandela :{

[MerchantVenturer]

gawain,

I flew as a passenger many times on Britannia 737s in the 1980s and they all seemed to be named aircraft, invariably after famous Britons with aviation or adventure/travel connections.

I have never 'collected' aircraft registration numbers but I was always intrigued to see which famous Briton I would be travelling on when I flew with Britannia. My excuse is that my kids liked to play a little guessing game as to what it might be before we arrived at the airport.

From memory I can remember flying on Amy Johnson, Jean Batten (although I thought she was a New Zealander), Viscount Trenchard, Sir John Alcock, Sir Frederick Handley Page, Florence Nightingale (also flew on a KLM MD-11 similarly named), Ernest Shackleton, Lord Brabazon of Tara, George Stephenson, Hon CS Rolls and Sir Thomas Sopwith, to name a selection.

There was also one bearing the fascinating name of something like, 'The O'Neil, Hereditary Ruler of Ulster'.

Cannot remember a BY a/c called Sir Frank Whittle but I am certain he would not have been missed from the august list.

Britannia seem to have shied away from naming its 757s and 767s as a regular thing, although several, especially the 767s, have names. I believe Sir Matt Busby, Bobby Moore, Brian Johnson, Eric Morecambe, John Lennon (an a/c as well as an airport), Roy Castle, Bill Travers and Lord Horatio Nelson are all remembered on various BY aircraft at the present time . I think they also name an a/c after their employee of the year.