The challenge between Ita Airways and Volotea on the skies of Sardinia has officially opened. First, the Spanish low cost company confirmed its intention to operate the only connection between Cagliari and Rome Fiumicino for the summer months through the "bridge" tender expiring on 14 May, then the new airline born from the ashes of Alitalia relaunched by manifesting the interest in assuming public service obligations, for at least 12 months, without exclusive rights and without financial compensation from the Region.
Today a new relaunch of Volotea, which has undertaken to operate for 12 months on the routes between Cagliari and Olbia and Fiumicino and Linate. If there are no other competitors and the offers are declared adequate to the criteria set by the decree, the two carriers could thus divide the connections between the three Sardinian airports and the two hubs of the Peninsula: Ita would fly to Alghero, Cagliari and Olbia, while Volotea only on Cagliari and Olbia, until May 14, 2023.
All with a nice saving for the regional coffers despite the confirmation of the special rates for Sardinians.
There is a but. The companies will have to agree on the slots, frequencies and timetables: which is far from obvious.
THE DOUBTS OF THE TRADE UNIONS - “It might seem like good news, but some aspects should make us think”, observes the general secretary of Filt Cgil Sardegna Arnaldo Boeddu.
“Despite the offers, the expressions of interest of this or that carrier, to date no one can book a flight to and from Rome and Milan after May 14”, he underlines. Furthermore, "considering that there is more than one offer that would exceed the tender that the Region should have assigned in October 2022, the Sardinians could lose the right to have an aerial territorial continuity conquered with great difficulty because, day after day, a total liberalization ". Again, "no one with this system of real free market is able to know what rates will be applied to those who do not fall within the scope of the benefits as a resident in Sardinia" And finally, he concludes, "it will be possible that the companies can bear the public service obligations by renouncing the contributions even in the months in which the load factor of the aircraft is very low? ".
(Unioneonline / L)