A petition to rename Prestwick airport to Robert Burns International Airport was discussed by Scottish MPs yesterday.
Alison Tait, of the Robert Burns World Federation, said the name change in honour of national poet Robert Burns would help to promote Ayrshire tourism.
Burns was born in Alloway, Ayrshire, which is about seven miles away from Prestwick.
The airport passed into public ownership after being bought by the Scottish government for £1 in November.
Tait told the BBC: “Renaming the airport would immediately identify its geographical location as Burns country.
“It would increase its profile in terms of Burns tourism, which the whole of southwest Scotland could benefit from.”
The public petitions committee said it was happy to continue considering the petition.