Renaming of Thessaloniki airport “Makedonia” could be considered: mayor Boutaris

Thessaloniki Mayor Yiannis Boutaris has said a name change of the city airport “Makedonia” could be considered, MIA reports from Greece.

“I am not saying it should change, only asking whether we should consider this, because the name ‘Macedonia’ has divided us and everyone loses”, Boutaris told Skai TV.

According to him, the airport could be renamed after the famous basketball player Nikos Galis, the only Greek to be inducted in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Boutaris adds that an additional reason for the name change could be the fact that tourists landing in Thessaloniki believe they are coming to Skopje.

He says there is now a real opportunity to solve the name problem and any delay could be detrimental for Greece.

“It is better to get 50 percent of something than 100 percent of nothing. We lost in the Hague, we cannot maintain the NATO veto,” stresses Boutaris.