Sogaer is not experiencing a crisis. The company that manages Cagliari airport—currently public but poised to be folded into the holding company of the private fund F2i Ligantia (this is the intention of the Chamber of Commerce, the 94.45% majority shareholder)—has tripled the salary of its newly appointed CEO. Riccardo Kustermann , a top manager arriving from SEA , the joint stock company that manages Milan's Linate and Malpensa airports, took over on June 3, where F2i holds a 44.3% stake (but the majority shareholder is the Municipality, with 54.8%). In short, the fund's new CEO is a regular.
Kustermann's arrival in Cagliari merely confirms a rumor first reported in May. What wasn't known was his compensation, which has skyrocketed this time around. According to official documents, published online on Sogaer's website, the new CEO has now secured a two-year agreement. Kustermann's salary schedule lists two years, 2026 and 2027, paid equally, although this year's appointment is for six months, having begun in early June. The top manager is paid a fixed salary of €150,000 (gross) plus a variable component of €40,000. Total: €190,000.
The Transparency section of the Sogaer portal also reveals that Kustermann has also been appointed CEO of Sogaer Security , the group's joint stock company dedicated to passenger and baggage screening. Security filters, indeed. For the former SEA executive, this represents an additional €40,000 per year, bringing his total compensation in Cagliari to €230,000. Online documents also reveal that Kustermann's predecessor at the parent company Sogaer, Sardinian-born Fabio Mereu, an entrepreneur and national number two at Confartigianato, earned €65,000 annually , three times less than the Milanese manager. The compensation change for the CEO role at Sogaer Security is also substantial: Gian Luigi Molinari, Kustermann's predecessor, earned €25,000 gross annually . Molinari, a beach resort entrepreneur now affiliated with Confindustria, was appointed on behalf of FIBA, the beach resort workers' union controlled by Confesercenti.
