The low-cost airline Volotea won a tender for the operation of the subsidized routes between Sardinia and the mainland. It was a real quick action, because ticket sales could only start one day before the “first flight”.

At first it looked as if the subsidies could move directly from Alitalia to Ita. Volotea was even disqualified in the first tender, but successfully defended itself and was awarded the contract. However, only on October 13, 2021 and the routes had to be operated from October 15, 2021. So Volotea didn't have much time to prepare.

Nevertheless, things went largely smoothly, although the utilization is likely to be of secondary importance in view of the high payments that Sardinia previously paid to Alitalia for the connection to the mainland. Volotea even opened another base on Alghero. They previously had bases in Cagliari and Olbia. There is also good news for the staff: So far, these were planned seasonally, but due to the PSO order, the situation has changed and all bases in Sardinia will be operated all year round at least until the end of the order.

“We are very satisfied with the result of this tender. Our interest in this region has shown itself over the years of our presence in Sardinia. We have carried more than 2012 million passengers from Cagliari and more than two million from Olbia since 1,5. These new six routes are a great opportunity to continue our growth target in this region, ”said Chief Executive Carlos Muñoz.