Milan-Malpensa airport will be renamed Silvio Berlusconi

() – Malpensa, Milan’s largest airport and Italy’s second busiest, will be renamed in honor of the country’s late former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi.

Matteo Salvini, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport of Italy, announced the change in social networks this Friday, writing: “Good news: Milan Malpensa airport will be named after Silvio Berlusconi.”

According to Salvini, the authorities of the Lombardy region, where the airport is located, submitted a request to change the name a year ago. This Friday, the board of directors of the country’s National Civil Aviation Authority approved the measure.

“The final decision rests with the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport and I am willing to put my final signature, with pride and emotion, in memory of my friend Silvio, a great businessman, a great Milanese and a great Italian,” said Salvini. “He is always with us.”

It is unclear when Malpensa, which offers flights to 180 destinations in 77 countries, will officially be rebranded. has contacted MilanAirports, the company that owns Malpensa, for comment.

Berlusconi, a billionaire who once described himself as the “Jesus Christ of politics,” died in June last year at age 86.

He was elected prime minister three times and held the position for a total of nine years, longer than anyone since the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.

Berlusconi, a controversial right-wing figure, had to go to court several times throughout his career. He was tried on charges ranging from tax evasion and bribery to corruption and having sexual relations with an underage prostitute. But only one case stood: a 2012 conviction for tax evasion in a deal involving television rights.

The decision to rename the airport in his honor has angered some Italians.

Pierfrancesco Majorino, leader of the Democratic Party of the Council of Lombardy, called the decision “deeply erroneous.”

Instead, Majorino suggested renaming the airport after Luca Attanasio, Italy’s ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who was killed in Goma in 2021.

“Attanasio did not divide our country,” Majorino said. “He was a servant of the State and an extraordinary Lombard citizen who brought the best of Italy to the world. Someone who wants more peace and justice.”

‘s Barbie Latza-Nadeau contributed to this report.