Summary
- Naming airports after famous sportspeople attract tourism and highlight the country’s talent.
- The impact of renaming airports after famous personalities can generate mixed reactions.
- George Best Belfast City Airport, Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, and Tenzing-Hillary Airport are examples of honoring sports figures.
Naming airports after famous people is a relatively common practice worldwide. For example, New York John F. Kennedy International Airport is named after the 35th president of the United States. New Delhi’s primary airport was named after India’s famous prime minister, Indira Gandhi.
When traveling internationally, the airport is often the first place travelers arrive. Naming airports after famous individuals allows countries, regions, and cities to showcase their talent and distinguish themselves. Some airports are given names of well-known artists, scientists, and sportspeople. This article will look closer at the five notable airports named after sportspeople.
1
Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport (FNC)
Location: Madeira, Portugal
Located in the Portuguese archipelago, Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport, or simply Madeira Airport, is named after a Madeiran native who is considered one of the greatest footballers of all time.
Photo: Ekaterina Pokrovsky | Shutterstock
Established in 1964, FNC airport was initially named after the civil parish Santa Catarina. More than 50 years later, Madeira’s largest airport was renamed Cristiano Ronaldo Airport. However, throughout history, the airport had even more names. Below is the complete list:
- Madeira Airport
- Funchal Airport (informal)
- Santa Catarina Airport
- Cristiano Ronaldo Airport
During the 2017 renaming ceremony, the airport was the focus of media attention as it also unveiled Ronaldo’s infamous bust. The name change and the bust were met with mixed reactions, as some Madeirans opposed it, while the international media ridiculed it.
In 2023, FNC Airport accommodated more than 4 million passengers and ranked as Portugal’s fourth-largest airport. Naturally, Madeira Airport handles the most traffic coming from the European continent. Airlines such as TAP Air Portugal
, Ryanair, and easyJet have a strong presence at FNC Airport.
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2
Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF)
Location: Louisville, Kentucky, the United States
In 2019, the Regional Airport Authority voted to change the name of Louisville International Airport (SDF) to honor Louisville’s native and legendary professional boxer Muhammad Ali. After receiving overwhelming sympathy and approval, the airport also changed its logo, with the new one featuring “Ali’s silhouette, arms up and victorious, against the background of a butterfly.”
Photo: RozenskiP | Shutterstock
Interestingly, Ali famously hated flying. In his 1975 autobiography, the boxer recalled how a Chicago bound plane experience so much turbulence that “some of the seats were torn from their bolts on the floor.”
The airport considers itself a low-fare hub, drawing passengers from Kentucky and Southern Indiana. In 2023, it handled 4.6 million passengers and offered 37 nonstop destinations.
|
Passenger terminal |
360,000 sq meters |
|---|---|
|
Boarding gates |
24 |
|
Runways |
3 (Two parallel and one crosswind) |
|
Taxiways |
62,000 linear feet |
|
Public parking spaces |
5,957 |
Indeed, the airport is more famous for its cargo-handling capabilities than its passenger operations. A major hub for UPS Airlines
, Muhammad Ali Airport is the third busiest cargo airport in the US and the sixth busiest globally. In 2023, SDF handled a total of 2,727,820 metric tons of cargo, freight, and mail.
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3
George Best Belfast City Airport (BHD)
Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Belfast City Airport (BHD) is another hub named after a famous football player. Established in 1983, the airport was renamed George Best Belfast City Airport in 2006 in memory of George Best, a Northern Irish professional footballer from Belfast who spent most of his club career at Manchester United.
Photo: Min Jing | Shutterstock
Interestingly, the renaming of the airport caused controversy, highlighting the mixed feelings of Belfast residents. The football star suffered from alcoholism for most of his adult life, and despite a liver transplant in 2002, he continued to drink. In 2005, Best died due to a lung infection and multiple organ failure.
Notably, Belfast has two airports. Located in the heart of the city, George Best Belfast City Airport (BHD) handled 2.1 million passengers in 2023 and competes with the city’s primary airport, Belfast International Airport (BFS), which served 5.9 million during the same year.
BHD is a single-runway airport and a hub for 
Aer Lingus
. easyJet is the airport’s second-largest operator. While most flights are domestic within the UK, BHD also offers international routes to destinations in the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, and Spain.
4
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport (LBE)
Location: Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, the United States
Named after the famous golfer Arnold Palmer, Arnold Palmer Regional Airport (LBE) is another airport dedicated to a sports figure. Previously known as Westmoreland County Airport, it was renamed in September 1999 in honor of Arnold Palmer, who grew up in the area and learned to fly at this airport.
Photo: HMBSoFL Photography | Shutterstock
Established in 1924, the airport has undergone many name changes. It started as the Longview Flying Field in 1924, became JD Hill Airport in 1928, Latrobe Airport in 1935, and Westmoreland County Airport in 1978.
The airport is a small regional hub, with Spirit Airlines
being the sole commercial airline operating at LBE.
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5
Tenzing-Hillary Airport (LUA)
Location: Lukla, Nepal
Previously known as Lukla Airport, Tenzing-Hillary Airport (LUA) is named after two mountain climbers, Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary, who were the first confirmed to have reached the summit of Mount Everest.
Photo: Soloviova Liudmyla | Shutterstock
The airport was established by mountain climber Hillary in 1964. It is a domestically used antiport. It is accessible only to helicopters and small, fixed-wing, short-takeoff-and-landing (STOL) aircraft such as the De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, Dornier 228, L-410 Turbolet, and Pilatus PC-6. The airport is also known as one of the world’s most perilous airports.
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