2024-07-12 11:09:48
It’s now official – the second largest airport in Italy is dedicated to the late Silvio Berlusconi. Milan Malpensa International Airport was named after the former Prime Minister, who died on June 12, 2023. The announcement came from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, which approved the decision of the National Civil Aviation Authority ENAC. Thus, the new name becomes “Milan International Airport Malpensa – Silvio Berlusconi”. The company CEA, which controls the airport, must now put all the airport’s documentation in order according to the new name. However, it will not change the name when issuing airline tickets, in which the code used will continue to be Mxp.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Matteo Salvini expressed his satisfaction with the new decision for the airport. However, a sea of criticism came from the opposition. The 5 Star Movement talked about “restoring the banana republic”. “A republic where an international airport is dedicated to you when you die after defrauding the tax authorities and being finally convicted in the last resort… This is a decision that divides and leads to deep disgust both here and among millions of Italians “, declared deputies from the “5 Star” movement. The Democratic Party launched a formal parliamentary inquiry into the issue and demanded an explanation as to why the law, according to which at least 10 years must pass after the death of a person before a public place can be named after him, was not followed.
Berlusconi’s new dedication to Milan airport – second only to Rome’s Fiumicino in terms of annual passenger traffic – will not change its name much. It will continue to refer to its geographical denomination of Malpensa, similar to that of Linate, which is “Enrico Forlanini”. Similarly, everyone calls Rome’s international airport “Fiumicino” rather than “Leonardo da Vinci”.
In Italy, most of the airports are dedicated to famous people from history and culture. Venice airport – Marco Polo, Bergamo-al Orio airport is called “Caravaggio” in honor of one of the greatest artists of the 16th century, Michelangelo Merisi. Genoa airport is dedicated to Christopher Columbus, Florence airport – to the navigator Amerigo Vespucci The airport of Bologna is named after Karol Wojtyla, as was the name of Pope John Paul II. The airport of Palermo is named after the magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo, who were killed by the mafia in 1992. Borsellino.
Italy’s largest trade union CGIL has asked the transport ministry to dedicate Malpensa airport not to Berlusconi but to the great Italian ballerina and choreographer Carla Fracci, who was born in Milan and died in 2021. The call was also supported by the director at the Milan theater “La Scala” Dominic Meyer. In Italy there is not a single airport dedicated to women.