A mural depicting local famous people and icons has been unveiled at Birmingham Airport to mark the launch of easyJet’s new base.

The work, by street artist Gent 48, depicts Ozzy Osbourne, the late poet and activist Benjamin Zephaniah, alongside people who work in the community, as well as Birmingham’s famous ‘curry mile’, manufacturing history, and vibrant arts scene. 

The mural was commissioned by easyJet and easyJet Holidays to coincide with the airline’s opening of its new base at Birmingham Airport today.

The base brings the launch of 16 new routes this summer as well as increased frequencies equating to 50% more flights each week.

This year, easyJet will operate around 10% more UK flights, with more than 57 million seats on sale.

CEO Johan Lundgren said: “This base is enabling us to unlock the opportunity of the strong demand which exists for both leisure and business travel, as well as further grow our share of the package holiday market. 

“We see much untapped potential at the airport providing the opportunity to grow further in future years.”

Eleven-year-old Ryan Huan, who is featured in the mural, was among guests at the unveiling. He turns waste into charitable food donations, by collecting empty tin cans from businesses and locals and selling the scrap metal to purchase items for food banks. 

Football coach Asha Rage has also been honoured in the mural for her work to keep young people away from gang violence and build bridges in the community. 

Asha and Ryan were presented with a package holiday of their choice from Birmingham by easyJet Holidays, in recognition of the work they do in the community.  

The mural will be at Birmingham Airport until next week and will then be donated to a community group in the local area.