It appears to be official.
Milan’s Malpensa International Airport will be renamed after former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who passed away on June 12, 2023, at the age of 86.
This news has been met with applause from the right and disapproval and anger from the opposition and beyond.
The idea, originally proposed by Gabriele Albertini, has now become a reality, as announced by the Minister of Infrastructure Matteo Salvini.
Salvini stated that the ENAC (the Board of Directors of the National Civil Aviation Authority) has approved the request to dedicate the Milanese international airport to the entrepreneurial figure from Arcore, emphasizing that the final decision rests with the Minister of Infrastructure.
However, ENAC has not yet released any communication to confirm or deny the approval of the request.
It seems to be only a matter of time before travelers can book a flight from “Silvio Berlusconi Airport”.
The leader of the League and Deputy Prime Minister alongside Giorgia Meloni, Salvini, expressed readiness to put his signature to it, adding that “someone on the left will turn up their nose after decades of insults, defamation, and trials, but Silvio Berlusconi has made history in this country, and it is right to name the Malpensa airport after him.”
It is true: Berlusconi has shaped the history and image of Italy, but in what way? At what cost? And do we really wish to have an airport named after someone who – according to final judgments – has had murky ties with the mafia through Marcello Dell’Utri and personally meeting the mafia boss Stefano Bontate?
The reasons behind the proposal to dedicate the Malpensa Airport to Berlusconi are more than evident from Salvini’s words on the historical and political relevance of the former leader of Forza Italia.
Facilitating the tribute, however, is the absence of a specific law.
Unlike the regulations concerning naming streets and squares, which require a ten-year waiting period following an individual’s death, such limitations do not apply to airports.
This is why former Mayor Albertini had suggested naming Linate Airport after Berlusconi, where the former Prime Minister had built his fortune with the creation of Milano Due and the first Mediaset offices.
Nevertheless, Salvini’s decision favored the modern and significant Malpensa Airport in order not to disrupt the already complicated balance with Milan’s Mayor Beppe Sala.
Criticism from the opposition quickly emerged, defining the choice as highly “inappropriate and embarrassing.” As Pierfrancesco Majorino, head of the Democratic Party in Lombardy, points out, “Silvio Berlusconi’s biography does not represent those of us who fight against the values that period embodied.”
The question remains whether it is appropriate to have an airport named after Berlusconi due to his complex ties with the Sicilian Mafia.
One should ponder how Berlusconi has shaped Italian history and at what cost.
The longstanding and close friendship with former Senator Marcello Dell’Utri, convicted to seven years for external complicity in mafia association, cannot be overlooked, nor can Dell’Utri’s role in Berlusconi’s entrepreneurial ascent.
Final judgments indicate Berlusconi meeting mafia boss Stefano Bontate in Milan in 1974, discussing not only business but also the “protection” assured by his Arcore stableman, the mafioso Vittorio Mangano.
Berlusconi provided constant payments to Cosa Nostra from 1974 to 1992 for this “protection.” Berlusconi’s lack of transparency in business and politics is also noteworthy, with journalists authoring numerous books unveiling the illegal actions undertaken by the Cavaliere.
Once again, Italy seems to reaffirm the tendency to glorify certain historical figures without truly questioning the legality and morality behind their supposed “greatness.” It paints a picture of Italy with two faces: one of corruption and one of anti-mafia efforts.
The thought that soon there will be flights connecting Berlusconi Airport to Falcone-Borsellino Airport can only leave a bitter taste, as highlighted by Il Fatto Quotidiano.
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