"An agreement is always possible and I believe it is desirable," says lawyer Paolo Angius, a leading expert in transportation law. But for now, Aeroitalia's withdrawal from the Sardinian Territorial Continuity Agreement appears to be controversial. On one side, the airline, citing the Civil Code, maintains it can end its discounted flights even before January, the deadline announced a week ago by CEO Gaetano Intrieri; on the other, the Region, which, pursuant to European Regulation 1008/2008, has reiterated the requirement of six months' notice.

Regulatory framework

Intrieri invoked Article 1467 to assert the carrier's right to independently decide to abandon the Sardinian routes. The company was awarded five of these in the 2026-2029 tender: from Cagliari and Olbia to Rome and Milan, plus the Alghero-Fiumicino route. Article 1467 regulates "Termination due to excessive burden" following the "occurrence of extraordinary and unforeseeable events." In these cases, "the party owed such performance may request termination of the contract." However, territorial continuity satisfies an essential need of the community, and the general interest prevails over common law.

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