Olbia "snatches" the direct flight to Dubai from Cagliari: "Here's what happens to private airports"
The capital loses its first intercontinental route, a showdown for F2i: the wrath of councilor Moro, of Federalberghi and Confcommercio Sud Sardegna
A Flydubai flight (Ansa)
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Cagliari-Dubai risks being canceled even before the maiden voyage. Presented as the «first direct intercontinental connection operated from Sardinia», three frequencies a week from June to September, the journey ends up being crushed by the tug of war between F2i and the Region for the control of Sardinian airports .
In fact, the Flydubai flight is preparing to be transferred to Olbia, the airport controlled by the F2i fund . A "theft" that can be explained by a better economic offer for the company, convinced by F2i to move and which according to the councilor for Transport Moro is " an anticipation of what can happen by leaving control of the Sardinian airports to a private, which does not follow the logic of territorial development but only pursues partisan interests ».
The airports of Cagliari and Olbia have released a joint press release explaining the reasons for a not insignificant transfer, given that the direct connection with Dubai brings dozens of connected international routes: «Despite the efforts made by the Cagliari airport, the carrier UAE has found a trend in bookings not in line with expectations and has evaluated the cancellation of flights to and from the island », thus leading to the transfer of the route.
Many do not believe in this reasoning, first of all the presidents of Confcommercio Sud Sardegna Alberto Bertolotti and of Federalberghi Sud Sardegna Fausto Mura , who express "clear opposition to this operation of obscure contours".
More: «We do not believe a single word of the joint press release. A senseless choice that is a robbery in Cagliari and a violent slap in the face of the Region. Transferring the connection to Olbia will make the connection seasonal and episodic (in Cagliari it was thought to make the route annual starting from 2024, ed), causing Sardinia to lose an entire annual bridge with the Emirates. Beyond the explanations provided to pull the wool over our eyes, the message is clear: whoever controls the airports makes good and bad weather and if you dare to oppose it, punishments will come ».
This, they continue, is the demonstration that " private individuals serve the interests of private individuals, this happens when public interests collide with the designs of economic giants ".
(Unioneonline/L)
