Former President Remains Popular In Eastern Europe For Stance On The Soviet Union

Of all the places you might think you'd find an airport named after former President Ronald Reagan (pictured), Lithuania would probably not be anywhere near the top of the list. But following a recent vote in the Lithuanian parliamentary foreign affairs committee, Siauliai International Airport near the small Lithuanian city of Siauliai may soon bear the name of the former U.S. President.

Reagan remains very popular in Eastern Europe because of the hard-line stance he took against the Soviet Union during the cold war. But according to a report in the Associated Press, even if the name change goes through, don't look to book a ticked to Ronald Reagan Airport in Siauliai anytime soon. While the airport does have a modest passenger terminal, it does not appear to have any regularly-scheduled passenger service.

The primary tenants of the former Soviet strategic airfield are a small number of NATO jets which fly primarily in the Baltic region, though the airport's website, which is primarily in English, does mention several cargo operations and a couple of government offices.

The facility is a far cry from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KCDA), which is within five miles of the center of the U.S. Capitol. Naming the former Washington National Airport after the then-still-living former President was controversial in 1988. But at least some members of the Lithuanian Parliament apparently think it is fitting that an airport on the northwestern edge of the former Soviet Union be named for a person widely recognized as one of the architects of the USSR's downfall.

FMI: http://www.siauliai-airport.com/