Belfast City Airport is to be renamed George Best Airport
I think it's great anyway!
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Belfast City Airport renamed after favourite son
21 Mar 2006
Ferrovial-owned Belfast City Airport is to be renamed George Best Airport in a ceremony on 22nd May, which would have been the footballer’s 60th birthday.
In a statement the airport’s chief executive, Brian Ambrose, said: ‘In the days following George’s death the media reported a variety of possible memorials to him. We were contacted by the Best family, who indicated that in their opinion the most appropriate memorial to George was the re-naming of Belfast City Airport.
‘We believe that re-naming the airport after George is a fitting and permanent tribute to his footballing brilliance. With 2.2m passengers passing through the airport each year, this will act as a constant reminder of Belfast’s favourite son.’
Born in East Belfast, where the airport is located, Best was part of the team that helped Manchester United to League Championships in 1965 and 1967 and the European Cup in 1968, and he also won 37 caps for Northern Ireland. He died last November following a long battle with alcoholism.
Earlier this month, budget airline Flybe named one of its Q400 aircraft after him. The aircraft, which has an image of Best in his Man Utd strip next to the passenger door, operates between Belfast City and Manchester airports.