London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 08, 2025

Man ends 20-year Llandegley airport sign joke that cost £25k

Man ends 20-year Llandegley airport sign joke that cost £25k

A man who spent £25,000 on a fake airport sign in mid Wales is bringing the joke to an end after 20 years.

For the past two decades, a billboard for Llandegley International has been a landmark near the Powys village.

It looks like an ordinary road sign, but actually signposts to an airport that only exists in people's imagination.

After spending thousands of pounds to erect and maintain the sign, the owner decided it's time to take it down.

Since 2002, if you travel eastwards along the A44 between Rhayader and Kington, you will see a sign directing drivers to Terminals 1 and 3 of Llandegley International airport.

But drive the two-and-a-half miles, as instructed, and you will end up not at an airport - not even an airfield - but just a field, on the outskirts of the village of Llandegley, Powys.


"In 20 years, I haven't had a single complaint," says Nicholas Whitehead

The man behind it, Nicholas Whitehead, is a journalist who used to edit the Radnor edition of the Brecon and Radnor Express and once wrote with Monty Python's Terry Jones.

He said: "It started off as a wild conversation with friends one evening in Llandegley.

"We thought of renting a sign for something that wasn't really there, possibly a project that didn't exist, and we settled on the airport.

"It started off as a bit of a joke, then we realised it was actually possible. It was made by Wrexham Signs, given the OK, one thing led to another and there it is."

Mr Whitehead added "as a journalist, whatever you do, someone, somewhere, is going to get upset about it".

However, this particular joke has seemingly been popular among locals and tourists alike.
Farmer Neil Richards says the fictitious airport draws tourists to the area


"In 20 years, I haven't had a single complaint about Llandegley International," he said.

"Loads of people love it, some people might not get it. But as far as I know, nobody is upset or angry about it. That's a first for me."


'A national treasure'


It has cost around £1,500 per year to maintain the billboard. After paying more than £25,000, Mr Whitehead has decided it's time to call it a day.

"I think the airport is established now - and I think the establishment should take it on," he said.

"It's not exactly a national monument - but it is a national treasure."

He hopes Welsh government heritage body Cadw may be interested in taking it over.

"It has become an item of Welsh heritage. It wouldn't cost them anything like as much as it's cost me. In terms of value for money, it's unbeatable."

"The sign is part of our community," says Holly Richards from Llandegley


At the nearby service station in Crossgates - a cafe popular with bikers - locals said they were sad to see the landmark go.

Holly Richards said: "I've lived in Llandegley all my life. The sign is part of our community.

"It's a bit of a running gag - people joke that they've just flown into Llandegley and they're flying back out tomorrow. It's a wonderful feature."

William Jones hopes to one day pass the story of the airport onto his own children


William Jones, 20, added: "Every time we see it, me and my mates have a giggle. I asked my mum all about it when I was young, and I'd like to be able to tell my own kids about it one day."

Farmer Neil Richards said it had helped put the village on the map.

"There's no end of people who have seen and heard about the sign who've stopped at our farm on the edge of the Radnor Forest, asking how to find the airport," he said.

"Apparently two American airforce planes landed nearby as part of a military mission in World War Two."

The airport has also taken off in a big way on social media.

Thousands of followers across Facebook and Twitter enjoy updates about Llandegley's impressive environmental credentials, and engage in flights of fancy about the "top secret" Terminal 2.


Mr Whitehead said these are the people who make the airport what it is.

"The sign is just a sign," he said.

"The sign can come down but the airport is still there. The airport exists in the same way that songs exist. If you set fire to the scrap of paper on which Paul McCartney wrote Yesterday, that wouldn't destroy the song.

"The song exists as a shared experience; it's indestructible. It's the same with the airport."

When Jill Dibling, a long-time fan of the airport, died of liver cancer, the sign was changed in her honour.

Her family in Llandrindod approved and were touched by the tribute.

The sign was altered in 2019 in memory of long-time fan of the airport, Jill Dibling


Mr Whitehead now plans to launch a campaign to gain official recognition for the quirky institution he founded.

With a lot of local support and a big online fanbase, it might not yet be the end of the road for Llandegley International.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
OpenAI Launches GPT‑5, Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet
Embarrassment in Britain: Homelessness Minister Evicted Tenants and Forced to Resign
President Trump nominated Stephen Miran, his top economic adviser and a critic of the Federal Reserve, to temporarily fill an open Fed seat
The AI-Powered Education Revolution: Market Potential and Transformative Impact
Chikungunya Virus Outbreak in Southern China: Over 7,000 Hospitalized
French wine makers have seen catastrophic damage to vines that were almost ready to be harvested after the worst fires in more than 70 years burned through the south of the country
US Lawmaker Probes Intel CEO’s China Ties Amid National Security Concerns
Brazilian President Lula says he’ll contact the leaders of BRICS states to propose a unified response to U.S. tariffs
Trump Open to Meeting Putin as Soon as Next Week, with Possible Trilateral Summit Including Zelenskiy
Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau spark dating rumors, joining high stakes world of celeb-politician romances
US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to seek a breakthrough in the Ukraine war ahead of President Trump’s peace deadline
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Karol Nawrocki Inaugurated as Poland’s President, Setting Stage for Clash with Tusk Government
Trump Signals JD Vance as ‘Most Likely’ MAGA Successor for 2028
US Charges Two Chinese Nationals for Illegal Nvidia AI Chip Exports
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
U.S. Tariff Policy Triggers Market Volatility Amid Growing Global Trade Tensions
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
Representative Greene Urges H-1B Visa Cuts Amid U.S.-India Trade Tensions
U.S. House Committee Subpoenas Clintons and Senior Officials in Epstein Investigation
Sydney Sweeney Registered as Republican as Controversial American Eagle Ad Sparks Debate
Trump Accuses Major Banks of Politically Motivated Account Denials and Prepares Executive Order
TikTok Removes Huda Kattan Video Over Anti-Israel Conspiracy Claims
Trump Threatens Tariffs on India Over Russian Oil Imports
German Finance Minister Criticizes Trump’s Attacks on Institutions
U.S. Proposes Visa Bond of Up to $15,000 for Some Applicants
U.S. Farmers Increase Lobbying Amid Immigration Crackdown
Elon Musk Receives $23.7 Billion Tesla Stock Award
Texas House Paralyzed After Democrats Walk Out Over Redistricting
Mexican Cartels Complicate Sheinbaum’s U.S. Security Talks
Mark Zuckerberg Declares War on the iPhone
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
Matt Taibbi Slams Media for Role in Russiagate Narrative
Pilots Call for Mental Health Support Without Stigma
All Five Trapped Miners Found Dead After El Teniente Mine Collapse
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
Declassified Annex Links Soros‑Affiliated Officials and Clinton Campaign to ‘Russiagate’ Narrative
×