Malpensa officially bears Silvio Berlusconi’s name, decision sparks controversy

Milan’s Malpensa Airport now officially bears the name of former Italian prime minister and media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi.

The new name is “Milano-Malpensa Silvio Berlusconi”, a process that began in 2024, one year after Berlusconi died at the age of 86.

The decision has been backed by the center-right government, which includes Forza Italia, the party founded by the former prime minister.

Italy’s civil aviation authority, ENAC, approved the naming of the airport after Berlusconi in 2024, but the initiative triggered opposition and legal challenges from Milan’s left-wing municipal authorities, led by Mayor Beppe Sala.

Nevertheless, the procedure to change the name has been completed, and Italy’s second-largest airport is now associated with one of the best-known, but also most controversial, figures in Italian politics and business.

Berlusconi’s eldest daughter, Marina Berlusconi, president of the family-owned Fininvest group and chairwoman of publishing house Mondadori, commented on the development to the Italian news agency ANSA.

“The thought that Milano-Malpensa Silvio Berlusconi Airport will welcome thousands of travelers from around the world every day fills me with pride and emotion,” she said.

Marina Berlusconi said the airport represents a link between Italy and the world, while her father’s name is associated with movement, travel and meetings between people from different countries.

“What better name could there be for a bridge like this than that of Silvio Berlusconi? He was a man who always sought dialogue with everyone. My father spent his life looking ahead and far beyond,” she said.