NEW YORK has John F Kennedy Airport and Liverpool John Lennon Airport. Now travellers flying to Scotland could touch down in airports named after Adam Smith, JK Rowling or even Archie Gemmell.

Airport bosses are considering a proposal to rebrand Scotland’s main hubs and say they will consider ideas from the public on names that could adorn them.

The move is supported by Tavish Scott, the transport minister, who believes airports could benefit through association with famous Scots.

Twenty million people travel through Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports every year, and supporters of the plan say renaming the terminals after famous Scots would raise the profile of Scotland’s cultural heritage around the world.

The practice is popular in Europe and America. Salzburg named its airport after Mozart, while Rome’s international hub was named in honour of Leonardo Da Vinci. America has John Wayne airport in Orange County, California, and Louis Armstrong airport in New Orleans.

A meeting is due to take place within the next few weeks between airport marketing and public relations executives and Tommy Sheridan, the Scottish Socialist MSP who has been campaigning on the issue.

While the issue is at an early stage, airport executives say they are prepared to discuss it.

The proposal met with an enthusiastic reception from many frequent fliers.

Niall Ferguson, a Harvard historian who flies regularly between Scotland and New York, said he would welcome the idea of flying into Glasgow through Adam Smith international airport, after the Fife-born economist. He also suggested that Edinburgh airport should be named after James Boswell, the 18th century writer and biographer.

Richard Demarco, the arts impresario, suggested naming Aberdeen airport after James Clarke Maxwell, the Edinburgh scientist famous for identifying the structure of the electromagnetic field.

He also suggested David Hume, the philosopher; painter Henry Raeburn; or author Robert Louis Stevenson for Edinburgh, and Robert Burns, the national bard, for Prestwick.

“Those who are chosen would have to be people who have proved themselves to be great achievers,” he said.

“This would cause people to be proud of Scotland and stop them from thinking of it as a tourist centre. We should not lighten this by choosing people from Hollywood or even the 20th century.”

However Hardeep Kohli, the Scots comedian, had more contemporary suggestions. He said Glasgow Airport should be named after Chic Murray, the legendary comedian, or footballer Archie Gemmell, the scorer of Scotland’s greatest international goal.

“Our airports are the gateways to Scotland’s culture and history. When you arrive at the John Lennon airport in Liverpool, you are reminded of his importance and we could do this with great Scots,” he said.

“Not only could we name airports after famous Scots but we could name business lounges, gates and even individual seats after great achievers.”

Alyn Smith, the nationalist MEP who flies four times a week between Edinburgh and Brussels, suggested calling Glasgow after the Scots-born philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, Aberdeen after Alexander Fleming, the Nobel prize-winner who discovered penicillin, and Edinburgh after either David Hume or Adam Smith.

“I think it is important to choose Scots who have made a global contribution and are known throughout the world,” he said.

Cardinal Keith O’Brien said he liked the idea of renaming Edinburgh airport after St Andrew, saying the move would increase the public’s knowledge and appreciation of the patron saint of Scotland.

Sheridan, who has suggested calling Edinburgh airport after the Harry Potter creator JK Rowling, said: “Airports have an important role to play in putting Scotland’s historical figures and cultural icons on the global map.”

A spokesman for the British Airports Authority, which runs Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports, said it would meet with MSPs to discuss the plan in the near future.

“If people want to write to us with suggestions for new names, then we will certainly look at their views. We can see the popular appeal of branding the airports with some great figures from Scotland’s past.”

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