Airport boss rules out Ozzy Osbourne rename

The boss of Birmingham Airport has ruled out renaming it after Ozzy Osbourne.

Strong support for the idea, including from the late singer's daughter Kelly Osbourne, was dashed after CEO Nick Barton said keeping the current name was "incredibly valuable for development".

A petition calling on the airport to change its name has attracted almost 77,000 signatures and the man who started it, Dan Hudson, said: "It continues to go from strength to strength."

Mr Barton said, while he recognised the legend that Ozzy was, it was important the airport grew its network through its current name.

"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," he told BBC Radio WM.

"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."

Mr Barton said the airport's plan to honour Ozzy's legacy was making progress.

"It'll be like a mural recognition of Ozzy and other greats in the area," he added.

The airport's most recent statement described it as "an exciting homage" to the singer.

"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," the statement said.

However, Mr Hudson said he would continue to push for the name change and that "this isn't going away".

Speaking on BBC WM, Kelly Osbourne said on Wednesday that renaming the site after her father would be an "incredible tribute to him and the legacy that he has left behind".

She added it would be fitting, because "this city made him, and he made this city".

Supporters of the idea pointed to airports in other cities around the world, named after famous figures, such as John Lennon airport in Liverpool, JFK and LaGuardia in New York and Louis Armstrong in New Orleans.

Mr Hudson previously said his campaign was going "pretty well" and he had received a "really good response" when he raised the issue at a recent Birmingham City Council meeting.

He also said it had the backing of most of most of the Osbourne family.

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