According to TravelMole, a spokesman for the Birmingham, England airport has played down reports that it could be renamed after BLACK SABBATH frontman Ozzy Osbourne.

The record company honcho who discovered BLACK SABBATH last month called for the airport to be named after Ozzy since a suggested "Black Sabbath Day" in the city to celebrate the heavy metal legends' contribution to music apparently failed to generate enough support.

"I believe that there is a masterstroke that would instantly confound the cynics," Jim Simpson, boss of Big Bear Music, said. "Just re-name our airport! How does The Ozzy Osbourne International Airport resonate? The message that would carry is instantly international, confident, powerful, unforgettable and says, 'Hey, world, we are proud of our own. Ozzy might not always have been a paragon of virtue, but he is a genuine flesh and blood Brummie."

Council member Philip Parkin, who first brought up the idea of a "Black Sabbath Day" in a report titled "Destination Birmingham," said he was receptive to the airport renaming suggestion.

"It's an interesting idea and I've got an open mind but I think something like that would need to be consulted on fairly widely because it's a significant part of our infrastructure," he told the Birmingham Mail. "I would be interested to know what people thought about that as an idea."

He added: "I still feel in general we need to be making the most of the talent we have got and did have in this city and with something like this we have to ask people their opinion."

Birmingham airport confirmed that it would be a decision for the airport itself, with a spokesman adding: "We've no plans to rename the airport so not quite sure where the story's come from but we're certainly not in discussions."