Margaret Canning
Today at 08:18
Belfast City Airport has denied it has dumped the name of footballer George Best entirely after it was absent from its latest advertising campaign.
The airport was renamed George Best Belfast City Airport in 2006, following the death of the world-famous footballer from the east of the city.
But an advertising campaign bears the brand ‘Belfast City Airport,’ exhorting travellers to “explore 28 routes from the heart of Belfast”. The latest logo is simply ‘Belfast City Airport’ in capital letters on a green and pink background.
https://twitter.com/BELFASTCITY_AIR/status/1825890854881395060
In contrast, its old logo featured a reproduction of the signature of George Best above the words ‘Belfast City Airport’.
The naming of an airport in honour of a famous citizen is common the world over, with Liverpool renaming its airport in honour of former Beatle John Lennon. The website name for Liverpool John Lennon Airport is www.liverpoolairport.com, though the full name and a self-portrait of the ex-Beatle is prominently displayed at the top.
On Belfast City’s website, belfastcityairport.com, the George Best autograph is displayed in a less noticeable fashion at the bottom of its home page.
News updates from the airport formerly featured the branding with the autograph above Belfast City Airport, but have not done so since last month. But a spokeswoman for the airport denied the name was being dropped in its entirety.
“The George Best in its name is not being discarded — the signage above the door has remained the same and its official business name and airport registration will remain as George Best Belfast City Airport.
“This is part of its new campaign that simply reflects its unique proposition and capitalises on its unique selling points of being fast, local, and reliable.”
While lauded for his footballing achievement with Manchester United and Northern Ireland, George Best also drew headlines for a playboy lifestyle, later succumbing to alcoholism and suffering from liver failure.
He was just 59 when he died on November 25 in 2005.
Belfast City Airport is owned by a fund managed by 3i, with airlines Aer Lingus, British Airways, easyJet, KLM, Loganair, and Lufthansa all flying from its base at Belfast Harbour. It flies to nearly 20 UK destinations, as well as Spain, Holland and Italy.
In New York, the main airport bears the initials of President John F Kennedy, and in Chicago, O’Hare International Airport is named after naval aviator Edward O’Hare.
The main airport in Paris is named after President Charles de Gaulle, while Tel Aviv’s airport is named after Ben Gurion, who was the first prime minister of Israel.
Belfast City Airport’s latest accounts show that its annual turnover soared last year by 25% to £23.5m, a rise of nearly £5m. It reported an operating profit of £1.5m, up from an operating loss of £1.9m the year before. Passenger numbers were up 28% to 2.1 million.
Earlier this month, the airport announced a new Northern Irish themed restaurant, Samson’s Kitchen & Bar, in its departures lounge.
by pickneyboy3000
20 comments
Hopefully they can formalise the name drop.
Madrid names its airport after the leader that oversaw the country’s transition from fascist autocracy to liberal democracy. Belfast names its airport after an unrepentant-alcoholic domestic abuser. It’s always been a shameful thing.
>Best also drew headlines for a playboy lifestyle, later succumbing to alcoholism and suffering from liver failure.
Bit of a gloss over
It was a knee jerk decision at the time anyway. He died in 05 and they named the airport in 06. Take anything you think of the man out of it and it just doesn’t work as a named airport. Best is an adjective. To a non-English speaker that’s going to look like George, Best Belfast City Airport. Like it’s called George and it’s the best airport.
Just doesn’t work.
Naming an airport after an alcoholic woman beater who happened to be good at football wasn’t the smartest decision.
Joey Dunlop (or just Dunlop) Belfast City Airport has a nice ring to it…
Change it to John Stewart Bell City Airport.
Celebrate someone whose actually done something for the world instead of people who can kick a ball or ride a bike well.
After having hospitalised his wife on Christmas Day in 2003, Best said to reporters “*So what if she’s in hospital? It’s the best place for her*”
George Best was a woman beater, a great footballer yes, but still a woman beater and that’s not the sort of person we should be holding up as a role model for anyone.
It was a bit like rebranding the outlet to the boulevard. Has never caught on.
Apply the kiss principal. Belfast City Airport. And the other one is not Belfast City Airport and the one in the west, the furthest from Belfast City Airport.
They should just get IKEA to sponsor it. Any time I’m picking someone up I always ask “out at the Inernational or the IKEA one”?
Good. Utter disgrace that people overlook the things he did to women.
I nomimate Yer Mas Airport
Dropped, or did it fall down again?
As the airport is on the way to Dundonald, they could rename it the Donaldson Airport. That would be a really good idea.
They should rebrand them both Belfast Airport – The Big One and Belfast Airport – The Wee One
They just found out the man was an alcoholic. So he needed to get canceled. This is 2024 after all.
It’s gonna be big Julian, isn’t it?
They should have named it “George bests witty epigrams and goal scoring (but not his behavior in his personal life) international airport.” Missed opportunity.
I always thought it was called ‘wifey Mcbeatties Airport ‘
Best airport in the UK and Ireland