Liverpool renames airport after Lennon
( 2001-07-03 09:46 ) (7 )

Yoko Ono, the widow of slain Beatle John Lennon, was guest of honour at Liverpool's international airport Monday before it is renamed in honour of her late husband.

Yoko Ono visited the packed airport, which is to be renamed Liverpool John Lennon Airport next year, to unveil a cartoon self portrait of Lennon as its logo.

It carries the strapline "above us only sky", a line from Lennon's hugely popular song "Imagine."

Speaking after the unveiling, Yoko thanked the people of Liverpool for bestowing such an honour on her husband, murdered in 1980.

She said: "Thank you very, very much for remembering John and for loving John. I am delighted Liverpool has decided to honour John in this way.

"John always reminded of us of the sense of fun in life. I hope the airport will send a great message to all corners of the world.

"As John said there is no hell below us, above us only sky."

The new name might even open a host of possibilities for other exciting ventures at the airport like a Strawberry Fields cafe or a Give Peace a Chance lounge, she added.

"It is beautiful. John would have been very proud. Thank you."

Airport bosses also presented Yoko with a minature version of a statue of Lennon which will be a focal point at the airport.

The half-tonne statue shows a striding Lennon dressed in a suit and T-shirt, wearing his trademark round glasses and with his hair slicked back.

Liverpool Airport chairman Robert Hough said the decision to rename the airport came as a "flash of inspiration, a brainwave".

He said the number of passengers who used the airport had quadrupled in the past four years and it was time to celebrate a new beginning.

Neil Pakey, commercial director of the airport, added: "Around the world airports named after individuals tend to be a celebration of their entire life and that is a trend we decided to follow."