The EU Transport Commission opens the dialogue on the Sardinian model of air territorial continuity. The pillars will be: direct aid to companies for cutting airport taxes (starting from the 25 million allocated with the Connected to the Budget, with an amendment approved yesterday), the experimentation of direct aid to passengers (with the reduction of the cost of tickets) and more flexible and open management of public service obligations. Not only that: on the Cagliari-Brussels route there has also been the hypothesis (something more, in reality) of the creation of an air fleet registered by the Quattro Mori. In short, a Sardinian company.
The meeting this afternoon in Brussels between the President of the Region Christian Solinas, the Councilor for Transport Antonio Moro and the EU Commissioner for Transport Anna Valean closed with a handshake and a see you soon for further discussions : on the agenda was the management of the air territorial continuity of the future and possible strategies to improve the service, for Sardinians and beyond.
That something didn't work after the last tenders, subjected to heavy European limitations, is certain. Moro and Solinas proved it through numbers: from March 1st to August 30th on the continuous routes (from Cagliari, Olbia and Alghero to Rome and Milan) it was necessary to put in flight 1026 additional flights compared to those budgeted, which turned out to be insufficient . And in any case there are those who have remained on the ground.
The Region has put its dossier on the table and the commissioner has opened a dialogue on a reorganization of the system, on the basis of the Sardinian proposals. With an eye to the Corsican model, considered efficient and satisfying for those who live on the French island.
Except that there everything revolves around the coverage of the connections guaranteed by Air Corse, the regional company: this was underlined by Solinas, who agreed with Valean on this point. A not too veiled message: in the Region there is a plan to create an all-Sardinian company and the EU hasn't said no.
The technicians, from Brussels and the Region, who have opened the channels of dialogue, will now work on all the issues.