Ceremony at Terminal 1

Milan Malpensa Airport officially took on the name of late former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi on Friday. A commemorative plaque was unveiled at the entrance to the Terminal 1 railway station, dedicating the country's second-busiest aviation hub after Rome-Fiumicino. The ceremony drew national and regional figures, including Senate President Ignazio La Russa, Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini, Lombardy Regional President Attilio Fontana, and Berlusconi's brother Paolo Berlusconi. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who leads Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, addressed the gathering through a video message sent from the United Nations General Assembly in New York. SEA Airport President Micaela Castelli opened the event by describing the hub as an international gateway representing the entrepreneurial identity of Milan and Lombardy. Marina Berlusconi, the chair of Fininvest and Mondadori, expressed her reaction following the official dedication.

“The awareness that the Milan-Malpensa Silvio Berlusconi Airport will welcome thousands of travelers from all over the world every day fills me with pride and emotion.”

Political division and municipal boycott

Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala boycotted the ceremony after opposing the renaming since the Italian civil aviation authority ENAC approved the measure in 2024. Sala spent Friday in Inveruno inaugurating a public square named after Piersanti Mattarella, explaining in a public statement that attending the airport event would have been hypocritical. Matteo Salvini addressed the empty seats during his speech, stating that politics should not overshadow national recognitions. Senate President Ignazio La Russa directly challenged the municipal officials who stayed away from the ceremony.

“I am surprised by the absences today, and I invite those who are not present for opportunistic reasons to make amends, to rethink it, and to say at least afterward that this choice honors Lombardy, honors Milan, and honors Italy.”

Legal challenges and statutory rules

The renaming followed two years of legal challenges mounted by Milan's centre-left administration and three neighbouring Lombardy municipalities. Opposing mayors argued that naming decisions fall under municipal jurisdiction rather than direct national transport ministry decrees. Challenge petitions also cited an Italian statute that restricts naming public infrastructure and monuments after individuals deceased for fewer than ten years. The national government under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni proceeded with the measure following ENAC's formal approval.

Political career and legacy

Silvio Berlusconi died on 12 June 2023 at the age of 86, ending a political career that spanned four separate governments between 1994 and 2011. He accumulated more than nine years in office as prime minister, the longest combined tenure of any Italian republican leader since World War II. His time in public life involved numerous court cases, including a 2013 definitive conviction for tax fraud that resulted in community service, as well as an acquittal in the Bunga-Bunga trials. Forza Italia, the political party Berlusconi founded, currently serves in Italy's ruling right-wing coalition alongside Brothers of Italy and the League. Following Friday's ceremony, airport infrastructure began displaying the new title, while the facility's official website had not yet updated its branding.