Aeroitalia can suspend flights to and from Sardinia even without the six-month notice required by the ministerial decree (231 of September 9, 2025, signed by Matteo Salvini) governing territorial continuity. The company's CEO, Gaetano Intrieri, is convinced of this. In a video published by the specialized agency AvioNews, he explains the regulatory framework that would allow the carrier to suspend flights in January, as announced (and not in May), due to the skyrocketing fuel prices.
The guiding light, according to Intrieri, is Article 1467 of the Civil Code. The text states: "In contracts with continuous or periodic performance (...), if the performance of one of the parties has become excessively burdensome due to the occurrence of extraordinary and unforeseeable events, the party owed such performance may request termination of the contract. Termination cannot be requested if the supervening burden falls within the normal scope of the contract. The party against whom termination is requested (in this case, the Region, ed. ) may avoid it by offering to equitably modify the terms of the contract."
And the surge in the cost of jet fuel triggered by the US and Israel's declaration of war on Iran, Intrieri reasons, is truly an "extraordinary and unpredictable event."
"We've been flying these past months based on the commitment from the Region and the Ministry of Transport of €20 million in compensation, to be split between us and ITA Airways. 95% would be ours, because that's the share of ongoing flights we cover." This sum would correspond to the difference "between what we actually spent on fuel and the cost estimated in the tender."
The only thing "we have asked of Sardinia, also pursuant to the Civil Code," the CEO continues, "is to mitigate the burden of this contract, which is evident, and which I don't think can be questioned." Moreover, the "diseconomy" of the contract is confirmed by the fact that "the Region has allocated the 10 million, so it means our request is correct."
In short: Intrieri demands that the promised funds—which the Region is reluctant to provide because they could be classified as irregular state aid—be disbursed. Only then can he continue to operate the routes. Otherwise, his January departure will be confirmed.
But Aeroitalia also sent a message to its workers: if no agreement is reached with the Region, "we have no intention of laying off a single employee. In fact, Aeroitalia plans to hire additional workers: seven Boeing 737s, already under contract, will arrive in 2027, so we will not only guarantee the jobs, but will actually have to increase them."
