ADVERTISEMENTMilan’s largest airport is set to be renamed in honour of Italy’s former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi - and the move has caused a huge row.
Malpensa airport, also the second-busiest in Italy, had the name change confirmed by Matteo Salvini, Italy’s deputy prime minister and minister of infrastructure and transport.
Announcing the decision, he took to social media saying: “Good news: Milan Malpensa airport will be named after Silvio Berlusconi.”
Salvini says officials from the Lombardy region - where the airport is based - requested the change around a year ago, which was accepted by the board of directors of the country’s National Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) last week.
This acceptance, though, has caused an outcry in Italy.
A petition launched by the left-wing Young Democrats of Lombardy group calling on the relevant authorities to reconsider has reached more than 16,000 signatures.
Milan's centre left Mayor Beppe Sala accused ENAC of giving in to pressure from conservative circles including right-wing Minister Salvini and going ahead without consulting SEA, the company that runs Milan's airports.
Berlusconi’s name and controversy go hand-in-hand.
The late billionaire was elected prime minister of Italy three times and served for a total of nine years - that’s longer than anyone since the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini was in power.
Berlusconi, who once described himself as the “Jesus Christ of politics,” died in June last year at the age of 86.
Known for his often controversial right-wing views, Berlusconi appeared in court multiple times - as well as parliament - over his long career.
He was tried on charges ranging from bribery and corruption to tax evasion and having sex with an underage sex worker.
He was eventually convicted of tax fraud and embroiled in countless sex scandals - reasons why opposition parties and groups are strongly against naming one of Italy's most important international hubs after him.
The leader of the left-wing FiveStar Movement in Lombardy, Nicola Di Marco, argued in a post on Facebook that naming the airport after Berlusconi is "a sign of the total decay of Italian institutions."
Marco Grimaldi, an MP for the Green/Left Alliance, said, "I for one would be ashamed to take a flight from Falcone and Borsellino Airport and land at Silvio Berlusconi Airport". Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino were Italian judges killed while prosecuting the mafia.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Young Democrats launched their petition on Sunday, adding to the mounting criticism.
They argued that the airport deserves a name “that embodies values of honesty, integrity and service to the community,” adding that “Berlusconi does not reflect those values, as demonstrated by the numerous criminal convictions he has received over the years.”
"We do not want it to stay just a petition, but also to tell the story of a generation who no longer wants to support the glorification of politics and of a person that had been sentenced for fraud, had been under investigation for child prostitutions [sic] and corruption," Tiziana Elli, the group's manager, said.
Berlusconi’s colleagues and supporters, though, have very different opinions. Many still praise him for his apparent charisma, entrepreneurial nous and contributions to Italy’s political and economic landscapes.
ADVERTISEMENTWhile it’s unclear when exactly Malpensa - which offers flights to 180 destinations in 77 countries - will officially be renamed, Matteo Salvini is determined that the change will go ahead.
“The final decision is up to the minister of infrastructure and transport and I am ready to put my final signature, with pride and emotion, in memory of my friend Silvio, a great entrepreneur, a great Milanese and a great Italian,” Salvini wrote on X - formerly Twitter, “He is always with us.”