Here is a list of people who were heroes to their people and as a token of appreciation, their government named an airport in their honor.
1. Ruhollah Khomeini
Where is it - Tehran, Iran
Ayatollah Khomeini
The international airport of Tehran, the capital city of Iran is named after him. The airport is owned by the Government of Iran and it opened in 2004. Khomeini was the 1st Supreme Leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in 1989 after overthrowing the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
2. Ibn Battuta
Where is it - Tangier, Morocco
Ibn Battuta
The international airport serving Tangier, the capital city of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region in Morocco is named after him. The airport opened in 2008. Ibn Battuta was a 14th century Islamic scholar and explorer who was born in Tangier, and he travelled around 75,000 miles, which was more than any other explorer in pre-modern history, including Zheng He and Marco Polo.
Tangier Ibn Battouta Airport
3. Lech Walesa
Where is it - Tricity, Poland
Lech Walesa
The international airport located 12 km northwest of Gdańsk, Poland, not far from the city centers of the Tricity metropolitan area is named after him. It is named after him since 2004. Lech Wałęsa was the President of Poland between 1990 and 1995 and was the first democratically elected President of Poland since 1926. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983.
Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport
4. Simón Bolívar
Where is it - Caracas, Venezuela
Simón Bolívar
The international airport of Caracas, the capital of Venezuela is named after him. The airport opened in 1945. Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Bolivia to independence from the Spanish Empire. He is considered one of the great heroes of the Hispanic independence movements of the early 19th century.
Simón Bolívar International Airport
5. Marco Polo
Where is it - Venice, Italy
Marco Polo
The international airport of Venice, Italy is named after him. The airport was inaugurated in 1960. Marco Polo was a 13th century Venetian traveler who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels were chronicled in the book, The Travels of Marco Polo.
6. Frederic Chopin
Where is it - Warsaw, Poland
Frederic Chopin
The international airport in the Włochy district of Warsaw, Poland, which is Poland’s busiest airport, is named after him. The airport opened in 1934. Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, and is now regarded as the leading musician of his era. Critics are of the opinion that his ability as a piano player is matchless.
Warsaw Chopin Airport
7. David Ben-Gurion
Where is it - Central District, Israel
David Ben-Gurion
The main international airport of Israel is named after him. It was originally named Lod Airport, which was renamed after Ben Gurion in 1973. David Ben-Gurion was the primary national founder of the State of Israel and the first Prime Minister of Israel. He was the leader of Israel from 1948 to 1963, with a short break in 1954–55.
Ben Gurion Airport
8. Leonardo da Vinci
Where is it - Lazio, Italy
Leonardo da Vinci
The international airport in Rome, Italy which is the busiest airport in the country, is named after him. The airport was officially opened on 15 January 1961. Da Vinci was an Italian polymath who has the reputation for being the most brilliant universal genius that has ever lived. His painting Salvator Mundi is the highest selling painting of all time
9. John F. Kennedy
Where is it - New York City, U.S.A
John F. Kennedy
The main international airport in New York City, which is the gateway to North America is named after him. JFK was the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. The airport was opened in 1948 and was commonly known as Idlewild Airport, it was renamed after Kennedy, following his assassination.
10. Charles de Gaulle
Where is it - Roissy-en-France, France
Charles de Gaulle
The largest international airport in France which opened in 1974, and is in Roissy-en-France, 23 km northeast of Paris, is named after statesman Charles de Gaulle. He was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Republic from 1944 to 1946 in order to restore democracy in France. In 1958, he came out of retirement and was elected President of France later that year, a position to which he was reelected in 1965 and held until his resignation in 1969.
