He certainly wouldn't have asked for as much. Silvio Berlusconi, the populist former Italian prime minister who died last year, will soon have its name backed by theMilan international airport.
The former Italian finance and media magnate could thus join other historic Italian personalities associated with airports. Following the example of Marco Polo to Venice airport, Federico Fellini to Rimini or Cristoforo Colombo to Genoa.
In fact, it's an issue raised by many political groupswho are protesting against the new name. Berlusconi is not only associated with the fact that he was Prime Minister of Italy. His detractors - including the mayor of Milan - point to all the legal scandals that the former Prime Minister has dragged up. In fact, there is a real gulf between Leonardo da Vinci - the name given to Rome-Fiumicino airport - and Silvio Berlusconi!
The name change request was made by the Lombardy region. This request is unlikely to be refused by Matteo Salvini, the current Transport Minister in the Meloni government. Salvini, who heads the far-right League party, was a close friend of the former Prime Minister. The Italian Civil Aviation Authority has already given the go-ahead.
Milan's main airport is set to change its name from Milan Malpensa to Milan Silvio Berlusconi before the end of the year. It is Italy's second largest international airport, with connections to 180 destinations offered by more than 70 airlines, Milan Malpensa handled 26.1 million passengers in 2023. A figure just 9% below the record set in 2019.
If the airport is finally renamed, it is to be hoped that Berlusconi's name will be a source of inspiration for Milan airport authority SEA. Malpensa's terminal 1, which last underwent major renovation work in 2012, could do with a serious facelift.
