High fuel prices threaten continuity, Aeroitalia's CEO: "We'll cut some flights."

"All airlines are cutting flights due to the cost of jet fuel, and we will be forced to do the same . Sardinia is part of Italy and the world, and the reduction will necessarily also impact territorial continuity routes . We're in the midst of a perfect storm, and there's no escape," says Gaetano Intrieri, CEO of Aeroitalia.

The connections

"Fuel is the largest cost item for an airline, and the increases, which are now close to the spring record again, are having a significant impact on our finances. The real risk is that we will have to reduce supply and raise fares across our entire network. We're all in the same situation; Ryanair, for example, has cut 10,000 flights ," Intrieri explained.

But isn't territorial continuity protected and untouchable? "Not when there's a force majeure event," the manager continues, "and this one is. So, after we cancel the 10 p.m. Rome Fiumicino-Alghero service starting October 1st, which is also seeing a decrease in demand, we'll soon eliminate other routes. I don't yet know how many and which ones; we're conducting the necessary analyses , also based on occupancy rates. The Region is well aware of the situation."

The service

Barbara Manca, Councilor for Transport, warns that "any cancellations or cancellations of flights by carriers on territorial continuity routes cannot require authorization from the Region, as they violate the ministerial decree. What happened, for example, on the Alghero-Fiumicino route was the result of a unilateral decision by Aeroitalia, and is a violation of the service (which provides four daily flights) that will be sanctioned, as has happened on previous occasions . Obviously, we are aware of the difficult economic situation, and precisely for this reason, we have already allocated significant resources to the budget."

The fact is that these resources—€10 million in 2026 allocated with the August budget adjustment to offset the increased cost of jet fuel on territorial continuity flights—as Intrieri emphasizes, "it's still unclear how and when they will reach the airlines."

Another issue is fares: an increase is expected , but the Region isn't happy with it. "Passengers shouldn't be the ones paying the price of the crisis," explains Barbara Manca.

Cristina Cossu