Yoko Ono: "Delighted"

It is the first time an airport in the UK will have been named after a famous person.

Ono is to be presented with a specially-commissioned statue of her late husband while the new terminal will feature a self-portrait of Lennon with the words "Above us only sky" taken from his classic anthem Imagine.

A second sculpture, commissioned from artist Tom Murphy, will stand inside the building.

Airport owners Peel Holdings saw the move as a "fitting and lasting tribute" to the murdered star.

Ono said: "As a gateway to the region this will be seen by millions of passengers and is a fitting tribute to the memory of my late husband."

The Beatles regularly used the airport on their travels in the early days of the band.

Famous citizen

John's son Julian said: "I am very happy to see that Liverpool has taken the opportunity to remember one of its most famous citizens in a way that reaches millions of people.

"It seems that the name John Lennon will be around for a very long time - one way or another."

Ono's honorary doctorate of laws is in recognition of the financial support given to the university.

She set up the John Lennon Memorial Scholarship Fund in 1991 to offer grants to the less privileged students of Merseyside.

Lennon was murdered in his adopted city of New York in December 1980.