Mailaender Flughafen will become Berlusconi-Airport
The right-wing government in Rome makes it possible: Milan's major airport will from now on be named after the late ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Supporters rejoice. The opponents call it a "Banana Republic".
Milan's most important airport, a major hub in international air traffic, is now officially named after the late former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Milan-Malpensa, as the airport is known, bears the name of the right-wing politician who was 86 when he passed away just 13 months ago.
The decision was made in a fast-track procedure by the right-wing government in Rome, with the Forza Italia party, founded by Berlusconi, being among its leading pillars. Transport Minister Matteo Salvini, in charge of airports, went ahead with the move despite criticism from the opposition. He later expressed his "great satisfaction". The opposition accused Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of turning Italy into a "Banana Republic".
The head of the right-wing Lega Party, as per his ministry's announcement, signed off on the decision - just a few days after the Italian Civil Aviation Authority ENAC approved the plans. In Berlusconi's hometown of Milan, over 100,000 people signed a petition against the new name for Italy's second-largest airport.
Legal actions considered
Mayor of the 1.3-million metropolis, the Left-wing politician Beppe Sala, attempted to prevent the plan with a regulation that public buildings and places should not bear a deceased person's name for ten years - unsuccessfully. The opposition is now considering legal actions to reverse the renaming.
Berlusconi passed away last June due to complications from a cancer diagnosis. Since then, there has been controversy among different political factions on how to remember him. The entrepreneur and media tycoon was one of the most controversial figures in Italian politics even during his lifetime.
Born in Milan in 1936, Berlusconi founded his own party Forza Italia in the 1990s and entered politics. Despite a series of scandals and affairs, the right-wing populist served as Prime Minister four times, until 2011. He also led AC Milan football club for many years.
In international air traffic, there are three airports named Milan: Malpensa, the smaller Linate, and the provincial airport Milan-Bergamo. Plans to name Linate after Berlusconi were also considered but were blocked by the city council last month. Mayor Sala stated, "Rules are meant to be followed."
Over 100,000 signatures against
Over 100,000 people signed a petition against the new name within a short time. Proposals from Berlusconi's detractors ranged from renaming the Milan Justice Palace, where he frequently stood trial and was convicted, to naming small side streets or massage parlors after him in less friendly areas.
Internationally, there are many airports named after politicians: John F. Kennedy in New York, Charles de Gaulle in Paris, Franz Josef Strauß in Munich, Willy Brandt in Berlin. In Germany, there are also airports named Helmut Schmidt (Hamburg) and Konrad Adenauer (Cologne-Bonn). However, these names have not become universally accepted in everyday language as intended by the politics.
Italian largest airport in Rome is named after the universal genius Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1619). In Sicily, the airport is named after anti-Mafia investigators Giuseppe Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, who were assassinated in 1992. The opposition party Five Star Movement referred to the new Berlusconi airport as a "sign of the total decay of Italian institutions". The former prime minister was repeatedly suspected of having Mafia support. However, direct contacts could not be proven against him.
The renaming of Milan's major hub in international air traffic, previously known as Milan-Malpensa, to the Berlusconi-Airlport, honors the late former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. This move has sparked controversy, with some viewing it as a violation of rights, arguing that public buildings should not bear the name of a deceased person for a decade.
Despite the oppositions' arguments, the right-wing government in Rome, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her party, went ahead with the renaming, citing Berlusconi's significant contributions to Italian politics and business. This decision has led to intense discussions, with some supporting the new name and others considering legal actions to reverse it.
The new name highlights the political divide in Italy, with supporters hailing it as a tribute to a beloved figure and critics labeling it as a step towards turning Italy into an "International Banana Republic." The renaming of the airport adds Milan's Berlusconi-Airport to the list of airports globally named after influential political figures.
