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Petition number: P-05-698 Petition title: Rename Cardiff Int. Airport to Princess Diana International Airport Text of petition: We the undersigned call on the Welsh Government to rename Cardiff International Airport to "Princess Diana International Airport"   To rename Cardiff International Airport will get more publicity and Welsh customers.

Background

The Welsh Government purchased the Airport on 27 March 2013 for £52.0 million, to operate on a commercial basis at arm’s length from Ministers.

Three UK airports have been named after individuals:

§    In 2001, Liverpool Airport was renamed Liverpool John Lennon Airport;

§    In 2006, Belfast City Airport was renamed George Best Belfast City Airport;

§    Doncaster Sheffield Airport also uses the name Robin Hood Airport, or Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

Renaming Cardiff Airport has periodically received media attention.  In 2014, Geraint Davies MP put forward the suggestion that it could be renamed Dylan Thomas International Airport Cardiff.

Cardiff Airport last revised its branding in 2009, when the name 'Cardiff Airport' and 'Maes Awyr Caerdydd' replaced Cardiff International Airport, and a new visual identity and logo was also revealed.

Welsh Government action

The Welsh Government has not indicated that changing the name of Cardiff Airport is one of its priorities.  However, the Welsh Government has indicated that changing the name of the airport would be an operational matter for Cardiff Airport.

National Assembly for Wales action

In 2014, the Assembly’s Petition’s Committee considered a petition to rename Cardiff Airport, Robert Owen International Airport of Wales after the Welsh pioneer of the Co-operative Movement.  The previous responsible Minister indicated that there were no plans to rename the airport, so the petition was closed.

Two other petitions calling for Cardiff Airport to be renamed were submitted during the Fourth Assembly, but both were deemed inadmissible.  One of those petitions called for the airport to be renamed Awyrle Dewi Sant Airport. It was inadmissible because the Committee had considered a substantially similar petition within the previous 12 months (the petition referred to above).  The other petition was deemed inadmissible because it used language that could be deemed offensive.

Every effort is made to ensure that the information contained in this briefing is correct at the time of publication. Readers should be aware that these briefings are not necessarily updated or otherwise amended to reflect subsequent changes.