The carriers that have submitted bids for Sardinia's new Air Continuity service, which will be operational from spring 2026 , are now known: the bids were opened at 11 am at the headquarters of the regional transport department in Cagliari.
The big news is the ITA Airways-Volotea agreement, which challenges Aeroitalia in Sardinian skies. A temporary consortium is being formed, according to an ITA Airways representative via video conference. Aeroitalia CEO Gaetano Intrieri has announced that he reserves the right to review the airlines' documentation in opposition to this agreement.
The alliance is in the running for the Cagliari-Rome route, with ITA Airways as the lead airline and Volotea as the principal. Aeroitalia is also in the running for the same route . For the Cagliari-Milan route, however, only Aeroitalia has submitted a proposal .
The ITA-Volotea agreement is also active in the skies of Olbia, having in fact submitted a bid to connect the Costa Smeralda to Milan . Here too, it is challenging Aeroitalia, but the roles are reversed compared to the Cagliari-Rome route: the Spanish are the agents, the Italians the principals. Furthermore, Volotea (alone) and Aeroitalia have both submitted bids for the Olbia-Rome route .
A new tender will be needed for the Alghero-Milan route, as no carrier has responded. Only Aeroitalia operates the Alghero-Rome route .
At 11:50 a.m., Aeroitalia CEO Gaetano Intrieri, connected via videoconference, had it recorded in the minutes that the airline will also cover, without compensation, the Cagliari-Rome, Olbia-Rome, and Olbia-Linate routes . All those where there is competition.
The tender committee that opened the envelopes is made up of three department employees, chaired by Valentina Flore. The other two members are Giorgio Murgia and Valeria Lecca. The attached documentation is currently being examined to verify its accuracy.