Milan Airport can be called Silvio Berlusconi

A year and a half after death

Milan Airport can be called Silvio Berlusconi

There are still disputes about Italy’s former prime minister even after his death. Now attempts to reverse a renaming of Milan’s main airport have failed.

Milan’s main airport can be named after the former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The city administration of the economic metropolis and several other municipalities failed in court in their attempt to have the renaming reversed. The responsible administrative court rejected their lawsuit against a decision by the right-wing Transport Minister Matteo Salvini.

The construction and media entrepreneur Berlusconi, who founded his own party in the 1990s and entered politics, died in June 2023 at the age of 86. The Milan native is internationally regarded as one of the first successful right-wing populists, who many others followed as a role model. Because of his many affairs and scandals, there is still controversy in Italy today about how the four-time prime minister should be remembered.

Milan Malpensa Airport – a hub for international air traffic – has been officially called Aeroporto Silvio Berlusconi since July. The decision was made quickly by the right-wing government in Rome, which also includes Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party. Opponents tried to prevent the project by citing a regulation that states that public buildings and squares can only be given names ten years after the death of well-known personalities – without success.