A funeral is to be held on January 21 for former Airtours boss David Burns, who died at the start of this month.
Further tributes were paid this week to Burns, who played an influential role at Airtours, which included setting up the Going Places brand on the high-street and working on the purchase of Aspro and planned acquisition of Owners Abroad. He went on to work in his “dream job” as head of the Football League, steering it through troubled times following the collapse of the ITV Digital sponsorship deal.
Former group managing director of Airtours Harry Coe said: “David played a key role in many acquisitions. At the time we were acquiring SAS Leisure Group, David had been accepted as a participant in the London Marathon. He was therefore faced with a diary clash of significant proportions and was about to cancel his appearance in the marathon when it was agreed that if he flew from Stockholm to London on the morning of the marathon and made the return journey immediately after the race then his absence from the negotiatons would be acceptable.
“To his credit he achieved a very respectable time in the marathon and played a full part in the negotiations the following day, with only the odd complaint of stiffness!”
Burns lived in Hale, Cheshire, with his wife Jane and two children Annabel, 16, and Roddy, 14. Wife Jane recalled: “David lived life to the fullest – he must have crammed 70 years into 50. He just had a passion for life.”
A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, January 21, at Altrincham Crematorium, White House Lane, Dunham Massey, WA14 5RH. Donations can be made to Macmillan Cancer Support, c/o Ms T Foley, Macmillan Cancer Support, Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester, M23 9LT. The family has requested no flowers be sent.