«The European Union is asking for a new tender for the assignment of routes in territorial continuity on Alghero but the Region is going ahead with the negotiated procedure already started, in agreement with the Ministry of Transport and with ENAC ». This was stated by the regional councilor for transport, Antonio Moro , speaking this morning during the session of the regional council.
Moro underlines that «according to Flor Diaz Pulido, director general of Mobility and Transport of the European Commission, “the urgency of direct flights from Alghero to Rome and Milan Linate given by the Italian authorities as justification for recourse to the negotiated procedure is debatable, given account of existing flights from Alghero to mainland Italy and flights to Rome from other Sardinian airports”. Therefore, explains the councilor, «the Directorate General for Transport of Europe is calling for a new tender, with new terms, other compensation amounts and with all the connected procedures which, in fact, would decree the end of territorial continuity for half of Sardinia. In fact, even if record times were to be achieved, in Alghero, before next June, in the case of a new tender, no plane with public service obligations would fly».
The objective of the Region, on the other hand, is to "avoid the risk that from next February 17 the North West of Sardinia will remain disconnected from the Continent and the Alghero airport will be without continuous flights to Rome and Milan".
In Alghero, the representative of the Giunta Solinas recalled, no carrier has presented an offer, in front of a total of 14 million in compensation to fly to Fiumicino and Linate, from 17 February 2023 to 26 October 2024. One eventuality, that of the absence of offers , which is not governed by Community regulation number 1008 of 2008 and not even considered in the interpretative guidelines.
«The question in Sardinia – underlined the commissioner Moro – even before being a technical and juridical question, is a purely political question. Represented by the imperative need to guarantee the primary right to mobility and connectivity, through paid air transport services that ensure adequate, regular and continuous scheduled flights. This is the underlying motivation that prompted the Sardinian Region, the Ministry of Transport and Enac to identify, in the so-called negotiated procedure - provided for by Italian law and in compliance with the Community principles which supervise public awarding of services - the useful path to ensure continuity of connections also in Alghero starting from next February 17th».
