The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word HEATHROW
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
H
E
A
T
H
R
O
W
More clues leading to the result HEATHROW
- Terminal choice here, where the condemned are getting a new leader
- Expression of surprise about a project for an airport
- Strong feelings leading to hard argument — over its expansion?
- Ambassador has a fling in get-away location
- Place of departure that without Henry Ford would have been a sinister one
- Man gets a surprise in airport
- Old Tory contention, where migrants may be entering Britain
- Ambassador joins project to limit a
- Pressure on Hants opener without runs mounting — lots of movement through the air here
- Endless pressure to go on pitch — captain may land you here
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Place of departure" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case place of departure = heathrow.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.