Airports named after celebrities and historical figures
Airports serve as international gateways to nations around the world. They also act as national aviation hubs handling domestic traffic. Most of these airports are named after the destination they represent, but there are many others designated after celebrities and historical figures who have distinguished themselves in their profession or fields of expertise. A lot of these people are familiar, others less so. All, however, are inspiring individuals deemed worthy enough to welcome travelers from all over the globe.
Click through and find out who’s waiting to greet you at your next destination.
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John F. Kennedy International Airport
Following his assassination in 1963, New York International Airport was renamed John F. Kennedy Airport in honor of the 35th President of the United States. The airport is commonly referred to simply as JFK.
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Federico Fellini International Airport
One of cinema’s most influential figures, Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini (1920–1993) has Rimini, Italy’s international airport named after him. He was born in the city.
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Liverpool John Lennon Airport
Named for one of the founding members of the Beatles, who along with his band mates was born and raised in Liverpool, John Lennon (1940–1980) is one of the British city’s most famous sons.
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Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
Named after the celebrated French statesman Charles de Gaulle (1890–1970), who led the Free France government-in-exile against Nazi Germany while in London, Charles de Gaulle is the largest international airport in France, and one of the busiest in Europe.
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Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport, Madeira
Portuguese soccer ace Cristiano Ronaldo was born in Madeira. The island’s airport was renamed in his honor in 2016. Due to its location and unique runway construction, the airport is considered one of the most dangerous in the world.
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Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport
Charles Kingsford Smith (1897–1935) was an Australian aviator who in 1928 made the first transpacific flight from Australia to the United States—one of many pioneering journeys the flying ace made throughout his lifetime. He died in 1935 after his plane crashed in the sea off Burma (today Myanmar).
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Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
Born and raised in New Orleans, trumpeter and vocalist Louis Armstrong (1901–1971) remains one of the most influential figures in jazz. The airport was renamed in 2001 to honor the 100th anniversary of his birth.
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Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Originally known as Washington National Airport, the US capital’s busy aviation hub adopted its present name in 1998 to honor Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States.
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Leonardo da Vinci International Airport
Rome’s international airport is named in honor of Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519). In 1480, da Vinci designed a flying machine with wings, and the first prototype helicopter.
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Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport
Jackson, Mississippi is the location of the Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport. It’s named after civil rights activist Medgar Evers, who was murdered by white supremacist and Ku Klux Klan member Byron De La Beckwith in 1963.
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Salzburg Airport W. A. Mozart
Salzburg Airport is named after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791). The Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and influential of the Classical period, was born in Salzburg.
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John Wayne Airport
John Wayne (1907–1979) lived in Newport Beach in Orange County, California. After Wayne’s death in 1979, Orange County Airport was renamed in the Western movie star’s honor.
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João Paulo II Airport
The Portuguese island of São Miguel in the Azores archipelago is served by João Paulo II Airport, set near the city of Ponta Delgada and named after Pope John Paul II (1920–2005). The pontiff visited the remote Atlantic Ocean island chain in May 1991.
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Venice Marco Polo Airport
Venetian merchant, explorer, and writer Marco Polo (1245–1324) famously trod the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295, an extraordinary trek that was recorded in ‘The Travels of Marco Polo’ (1300). Venice’s airport honors the great traveler and his exploits.
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Indiana County–Jimmy Stewart Airport
Located 105 km (65 mi) northeast of Pittsburgh is Indiana County–Jimmy Stewart Airport, named for Hollywood screen legend Jimmy Stewart (1908–1997), who was born and raised in Indiana, Pennsylvania.
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Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport
Bologna-born Guglielmo Marconi (1874–1937), the Italian electrical engineer who pioneered radio transmission and is credited as the inventor of the radio, is honored in name at Bologna’s international airport.
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Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport
Famed cartoonist Charles M. Schulz (1922–2000), the man who created the iconic ‘Peanuts’ comic strip, has the former Santa Rosa Army Airfield in California named after him. The airport’s logo features Snoopy, one of the comic strip’s most famous characters. Schulz moved to Santa Rosa in 1969, and lived there until his death.
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Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport
Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla (1856–1943), born in modern-day Croatia, is known for designing the alternating current (AC) electric system. Belgrade’s international airport is named after him.
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Warsaw Chopin Airport
Polish composer and virtuoso pianist Frédéric Chopin grew up in Warsaw, where he completed his musical education and composed his early works. The city’s international airport was named for its illustrious former resident in 2001.
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Galileo Galilei Airport
Pisa’s airport in named after Italian astronomer, physicist, and engineer Galileo Galilei (1564–1642) who was born in the Tuscan city, famous for its leaning tower.
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Ian Fleming International Airport
James Bond creator Ian Fleming (1908–1964) lived in Jamaica, where he wrote the series of spy novels featuring 007 that would later provide the inspiration for one of the most successful movie franchises in cinema history. Ian Fleming International Airport is located in Boscobel, Saint Mary Parish, near to the Goldeneye estate Fleming once owned.
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Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport
Budapest’s international airport is sometimes called Ferihegy, but is officially known as Ferenc Liszt after the most famous Hungarian composer, Franz Liszt (1811–1886). As with Chopin, Liszt was celebrated for his prodigious virtuoso skill as a pianist.
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Federico García Lorca Granada Airport
Esteemed Spanish poet and playwright Federico García Lorca (1898–1936) was born near Granada in Andalusia and was killed by Nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War. His remains have never been found. Granada’s airport has honored his memory since 2006.
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Queen Alia International Airport
Jordan’s international airport is named after Alia Al-Hussein (1948–1977), who was Queen of Jordan and the third wife of King Hussein (1935–1999). A popular figure, Queen Alia was a champion of literature, the arts, education, and women’s rights. She was tragically killed in a helicopter crash in 1977. Queen Alia is one of just a handful of women with airports named after them.
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Gdansk Lech Wałęsa Airport
Polish electrician and trades-union activist Lech Wałęsa achieved worldwide fame in 1980 after he co-founded the Solidarity trade union at the Gdansk shipyard. In 1990, he became the first president of Poland ever elected in a popular vote. Since 2004, Gdansk’s airport has been named in his honor.
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Yeager Airport
Yeager Airport, situated 6 km (3 mi) east of Charleston in West Virginia, is named after Chuck Yeager (1923–2020), who piloted the world’s first supersonic flight in a Bell X-1 in 1947. Yeager was born in West Virginia.
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Indira Gandhi International Airport
Indira Gandhi (1917–1984), the first and to date only female prime minister of India, was assassinated in October 1984. The country’s busiest airport, found in Delhi, is named after her.
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Simón Bolívar International Airport
Venezuelan military and political leader Simón Bolívar (1783–1830) was born in Caracas. The city’s international airport is named after him, though locals often refer to it as Maiquetía due to its location 21 km (13 mi) west of Caracas, at the city of Maiquetía.
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Václav Havel Airport Prague
Distinguished writer, former dissident, and revered statesman Václav Havel (1936–2011) played a major role in the Velvet Revolution that toppled communism in Czechoslovakia in 1989. He later became the last president of Czechoslovakia and the first president of the independent Czech Republic. Prague’s airport was renamed in his honor in October 2012.
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Istanbul Atatürk Airport
Since 2019, Istanbul Atatürk Airport, named for Kemal Atatürk, the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, handles only cargo, air taxi, and business flights, plus state and diplomatic traffic. The newly-built Istanbul Airport handles all commercial arrivals and departures.
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George Best Belfast City Airport
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