Local council supports Southampton airport name change
21.04.06
A move to rename Southampton Airport in honour of the man who designed the Spitfire has received council support. The Spitfire first took to the skies from the airport, then Eastleigh airfield, 70 years ago.
R J Mitchell was chief designer for Supermarine and designed the World War II fighter plane in 1935, dying 2 years later from cancer, aged 42. At a meeting on Thursday, Eastleigh Borough Council members backed an idea to rename the airport R J Mitchell International Airport in his memory.
Mr Mitchell, originally from Staffordshire, died in 1937, a year after seeing the prototype of his design make its maiden flight. More than 20,000 Spitfires - which played a crucial role in the Battle of Britain - were built in the city's Supermarine factory in Woolston. Any final decision on a name change lies with airport owner BAA, who recently did not support similar schemes to rename their Scottish airports.
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