Fans are continuing to call for Birmingham Airport to be renamed after the late Ozzy Osbourne, despite hopes being nixed by its CEO.
- READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne, 1948-2025: culture-smashing revolutionary that redefined rock and reality TV
Ozzy’s death came just 17 days after he played his final-ever live show in his beloved Birmingham. Speaking about his hometown yesterday (December 4) while accepting his posthumous Birmingham Lord Mayor’s Award, daughter Kelly said the thing her father was “most proud of is that he was a Brummie, and Birmingham has done him proud.”
That in mind, fans pushed to rename Birmingham Airport in honour of the late star in the wake of Ozzy’s passing, with a petition put forward on Change.org by Dan Hudson, co-host of the A Gay And A Nongay podcast, who suggested that Birmingham International Airport have a rebrand in honour of the Prince Of Darkness.
“Ozzy Osbourne was the most important musician ever to hail from Birmingham,” his description read. “Ozzy’s influence on music and culture is undeniable. Naming our international airport after him would be a fitting tribute to his extraordinary career and contributions to the arts.”
Today on Ozzy Osbourne’s 77th birthday, the Osbourne family returned to Birmingham to receive Ozzy’s Lord Mayor’s Award and the Book of Condolences following his sad passing. 🖤
Kelly Osbourne spoke with us about Ozzy’s Brummie pride and the family’s love for the city.
Ozzy… pic.twitter.com/ZFYMrH7VvO— Birmingham City Council (@BhamCityCouncil) December 3, 2025
Now on nearly 77,000 signatures, and having drawn support from the Osbourne family, Hudson said the campaign “continues to go from strength to strength”.
However, CEO Nick Barton said keeping the current name was “incredibly valuable for development”, effectively nixing hopes of a rebrand.
“Birmingham, amazingly, has an extraordinary list of fantastically influential people, going from historic people like Charles Darwin, as well as Robert Plant and Sir Lenny Henry but the answer is no,” he told BBC Radio WM (via BBC News).
“The airport name is so important for our future development of what we’ve got, which is a fantastic airport, but yet to grow significantly, which we will do on the back of its name.”
He did add that progress was being made on a different project to honour Ozzy’s legacy at the airport, saying: “It’ll be like a mural recognition of Ozzy and other greats in the area”.
Hudson said he would continue to push for the name change and that the push from fans “isn’t going away”.
The Osbourne children leave touching sign on the anniversary of Ozzy’s birthday at the Black Sabbath Bridge in Birmingham.
Fans visiting the landmark today were moved to discover a heartfelt tribute left by the Osbourne kids in honour of their father — a simple but emotional… pic.twitter.com/XCEpzVYj14— THIS DAY IN METAL (@ThisDayInMETAL) December 3, 2025
Speaking on BBC WM, Kelly Osbourne said on Wednesday (December 3) that renaming the site after her father would be an “incredible tribute to him and the legacy that he has left behind”.
She added it would be fitting, because “this city made him, and he made this city”.
Supporters of the idea pointed to airports in other cities around the world, named after famous figures, such as George Best International Airport in Belfast and John Lennon Airport in Liverpool.
Meanwhile, the Osbourne family recently spoke publicly together about Ozzy’s death, revealing that he had been hospitalised two weeks before the ‘Back To The Beginning’ gig. The podcast also saw them play a voicemail tribute sent from President Trump, and hit out at “ugly human being” Roger Waters.
Elsewhere, Sharon confirmed how much Ozzy and Sabbath’s last-ever concert had raised for charity. In a separate conversation, Ozzy’s eldest son Louis talked about his late father’s “humbling” funeral in a rare interview with half-brother Jack.
Jack is currently appearing on ITV’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, where he has opened up about his grief. He has also claimed on the show that his late grandfather, Don Arden, would threaten and “firebomb” rival record labels, as well as send “hitmen” after Ozzy.
