Milan's Malpensa Airport now officially carries the name of Silvio Berlusconi. At a ceremony in the arrivals area of Terminal 1 on Friday 25 September, the former prime minister's family and senior government figures unveiled the new name, more than two years after the decision was first announced.
Not everyone came. Milan's mayor, Giuseppe Sala, who had fought the renaming, stayed away. The decision has divided Italian politics since it was made, and Friday's ceremony did nothing to change that.
Datos rápidos
- Aeropuerto: Milan Malpensa, Milan's main intercontinental airport
- Nuevo nombre: Now officially named after Silvio Berlusconi
- Ceremony: Friday 25 September 2026, Terminal 1 arrivals area
- Decisión: Taken by Italy's civil aviation authority ENAC in 2024, announced in July 2024
- Demora: Legal challenges from Milan's city administration
- Berlusconi: Prime minister four times between 1994 and 2011; died 12 June 2023
A Family Ceremony With Ministers
According to The Local and ANSA, the Berlusconi family was represented by his brother Paolo and his eldest daughter, Marina, chair of the family holding company Fininvest. Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini, a long-standing ally, attended the ceremony. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called the choice a very happy one, describing the airport as one of Italy's gateways to the world.
Marina Berlusconi said she was moved that thousands of travellers from around the world would arrive every day at an airport bearing her father's name.
Why the Name Divides Italy
ENAC, Italy's civil aviation authority, decided on the renaming in 2024, a year after Berlusconi's death, with the backing of the centre-right government including Forza Italia, the party he founded. Milan's centre-left administration challenged it in court, which delayed the official renaming.
Mayor Sala argued that the process bypassed local consultation. According to The Local, opponents also pointed to rules that normally prevent public facilities from being named after people who died less than ten years earlier. Sala skipped Friday's ceremony and attended a commemoration for Piersanti Mattarella instead. On Instagram, he asked whether he should have been there with a forced smile, aeroTELEGRAPH reports.
Berlusconi served as prime minister four times between 1994 and 2011, for more than nine years in total. His political career was accompanied by numerous legal proceedings, which is a large part of why his name on an airport remains controversial.
Corriere della Sera report on the official renaming of Malpensa (in Italian).
For passengers, nothing changes: the airport code remains MXP and the flights are the same. But Malpensa joins a long list of airports named after politicians, from Paris-Charles de Gaulle to Washington Dulles, and like several of them, the name will likely stay contested.
Sources: ANSA, The Local Italy, aeroTELEGRAPH, Open
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