The head of Birmingham Airport has officially dismissed the growing movement to rename the facility after Ozzy Osbourne, despite strong public backing and support from the late singer’s daughter, Kelly Osbourne. CEO Nick Barton emphasized that keeping the airport’s current name is “incredibly valuable for development.”
A petition urging the airport to rebrand in honour of Ozzy has amassed nearly 77,000 signatures. The petition’s creator, Dan Hudson, said: “It continues to go from strength to strength.”
Barton acknowledged Ozzy’s cultural influence but stressed that the airport’s existing name is critical to expanding its route network. He explained: “Birmingham, amazingly, has an extraordinary list of fantastically influential people, going from historic people like Charles Darwin, as well as Robert Plant and Sir Lenny Henry but the answer is no.” Speaking to BBC Radio WM, he added: “The airport name is so important for our future development of what we’ve got, which is a fantastic airport, but yet to grow significantly, which we will do on the back of its name.”
However, Barton said plans to honor Ozzy in a different way are moving ahead. “It’ll be like a mural recognition of Ozzy and other greats in the area,” he said. A recent airport statement described the effort as “an exciting homage” to the musician.
The statement continued: “We know he was an inspiration to so many in our region proving talent, hard work and commitment can take you to all corners of the world and we are committed to honouring his legacy within our terminal space.”
Hudson said he intends to keep pushing for the renaming, insisting “this isn’t going away.”
During a BBC WM appearance, Kelly Osbourne said renaming the airport after her father would be an “incredible tribute to him and the legacy that he has left behind.” She added that it would be especially appropriate because “this city made him, and he made this city.”
Supporters of the proposal point to other airports around the world named after influential figures, including John Lennon Airport in Liverpool, JFK and LaGuardia in New York, and Louis Armstrong Airport in New Orleans.
Hudson previously said the campaign was going “pretty well” and that he received a “really good response” when raising the idea at a recent Birmingham City Council meeting. He also noted that he has the support of most of the Osbourne family.
