At a time when there is plenty of heavy lifting required to be done for the future of this region, the City Council has agreed to write to the Privy Council in London to have the name of the city officially changed to Derry.

Some councillors have been making noises and making out that the name change is necessary to market the city. They appear to have little understanding that links with London are important for marketing the city and should be developed rather than dismissed out of hand.
Maybe the councillors would be better employed in marketing the city by doing something that is within their power and does not need the consent of the Privy Council. I am, of course, referring to renaming the local airport as 'John Hume City of Derry Airport.' Both Liverpool and Belfast have already seen the marketing advantages in renaming airports after John Lennon and George Best respectively.

So why has Derry City Council not already moved to have the airport named after the city's most renowned person, Nobel Laureate, holder of numerous awards and major contributor to the development of the city in the last forty years?

Not only has John Hume been a contributor to the general well-being of the city but he has specifically been heavily involved in obtaining the money from Europe as well as London and Dublin that has allowed the airport to expand and become a factor for economic development for the entire North West region.

I tend to the view that we should not wait until people are dead before naming public buildings etc after them. Why should we wait when there is almost universal acceptance of the outstanding, positive contribution that John Hume has made to modern Ireland?

New York has both JFK and La Guardia while Paris has Charles De Gaulle Airport. By naming our local airport after John Hume, the city council would be both honouring the man in his lifetime as well as giving the region a powerful marketing tool.

Strategy is all about gaining a competitive advantage and the move would bring plenty of positive vibes and opportunities. Just sit back and listen to how good the following sounds to the ear - 'Welcome to John Hume City of Derry Airport.'