Silvio Berlusconi’s family was not involved in the deliberations on the decision to name Milan’s main airport after the former prime minister of Italy and he doesn’t think the time is right for that, his eldest son said.

Milan’s Malpensa airport, the second-busiest of Italy’s airports, was officially named in honor of the centre-right politician earlier this month, almost a year after his death.

The decision was ratified by the Minister of Transport Matteo Salvini, leader of the far-right League. Berlusconi’s son, Pier Silvio, said he was happy with any honor given to his father but had no say in the matter.

“To be honest, the method wasn’t exactly perfect, both in terms of timing and the way it was done. It was clear it would cause controversy,” he told reporters at the headquarters of MFE-MediaforEurope, the media company founded by his father. “As a family, we were not involved in the process and were informed at the last minute,” he added.

The centre-left mayor of Milan, Beppe Sala, criticized the move, while some who were opposed to the decision started a petition to overturn it.

“I was disturbed by the confrontation and even more by those who took advantage of it for political reasons,” Berlusconi said, referring to Sala.

In Italy, there is usually a 10-year moratorium after a person’s death before a public place is named after him, but in the case of Milan airport this was ignored.