Mayday, ground control, we can't find John Lennon airport

Britain’s aviation regulator has warned that the trend for naming airports after famous people may be putting passengers’ safety at risk.The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says the use of celebrity names, such as John Lennon for Liverpool airport and George Best at Belfast, could confuse foreign pilots.A source at the CAA said: “The Beatles may well be the most famous band in the world, but if you’ve got a pilot coming from Serbia who is told to go to John Lennon, he might not necessarily know that he is being directed to Liverpool.”The regulator has told airports their names ought to be kept simple and reflect their geographical location for all formal aviation communications.In a letter sent to all airports, the CAA’s Aerodrome Standards Department says: “It is now becoming increasingly common for aerodromes to be given commercially inspired names. For example, aerodromes have been named after an internationally recognised city, even if that city is not the closest, or after a famous individual with a local connection.”The document continues: “Liverpool John Lennon airport was previously called Liverpool airport and, before that, Speke airport. While the name of an aerodrome may offer commercial benefits, it is important to ensure that there is no detrimental effect on safety.”Although UK airports, including military airbases, are identified on flight charts by a unique four-character code, their commercial names may be used during conversations between pilots and air traffic controllers.This, fears the CAA, could result in problems if the airport’s name is not “consistently recognisable, relevant and unambiguous” — particularly in an emergency.Where this leaves Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield, which is situated in Yorkshire rather than Nottingham, the city that most people associate with the outlaw, is unclear.The warning from the CAA comes as Belfast City airport was renamed last week in honour of Best, the Northern Ireland and Manchester United footballer who died last year.Liverpool’s main hub, which was used by more than 4m passengers last year, has incorporated Lennon into its name as a ploy to attract tourists to Merseyside.If the CAA fears foreign pilots might be stumped by Lennon, imagine their bewilderment if they were directed to Jo Whiley airport. Last month Scott Mills, a presenter on Radio 1, launched a campaign to have an airport named after Whiley, his BBC colleague. Officials at Newquay airport in Cornwall agreed to name a departure lounge after Whiley.Dozens of large airports across the world bear the names of famous people, although the phenomenon appears to have its roots in America and on the Continent.Heads of state are the most popular choice. America boasts at least three airports named after presidents: John F Kennedy (New York), Ronald Reagan (Washington DC) and George Bush Sr (Houston). Paris has Charles de Gaulle, while Saddam International airport was renamed Baghdad International only after the allied invasion of Iraq.Lennon is by no means the only artist to be honoured. There are airports named after Mozart (Salzburg), Chopin (Warsaw), Leonardo da Vinci (Rome), Louis Armstrong (New Orleans) and even John Wayne, the American film star (Orange County, California).However, the most daunting place to land is perhaps Mongolia’s international airport — it was recently renamed after Genghis Khan.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk
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