The call for proposals to incentivize new air routes to and from Sardinia has entered its operational phase . The new notice from the Region, which provides €11.4 million for the two-year period 2027-2028 , was published today, October 28, in the Official Journal of the European Union.

From now on, airlines can submit their proposals to activate connections from the airports of Cagliari-Elmas, Olbia Costa Smeralda, and Alghero-Fertilia.

The main change compared to the previous call for proposals, which was not very successful, concerns the method used to identify the new routes: the Region will no longer prepare a list of eligible destinations, but the carriers will directly propose the connections in which they intend to invest .

"We're giving greater freedom of initiative to carriers, who understand the commercial potential of different destinations and can propose connections consistent with their development plans," explains Regional Transport Councillor Barbara Manca . "The Region provides the resources and defines the conditions to support these investments, in compliance with European state aid rules."

The first window for submitting expressions of interest is open for one month, until November 28th . Any subsequent windows will then be announced on the Region's website, based on available resources.

Innovations introduced include simplified application procedures and the opening of more application windows, thus offering airlines greater opportunities to participate. Comparative evaluation of proposals will only be necessary if there are multiple applications for the same route or if funding requests exceed available resources.

The total budget is €11,409,423.14, of which €6,164,852.51 for 2027 and €5,244,570.63 for 2028. The incentives may cover up to 50% of airport fees for new connections, for a maximum period of two years, in compliance with the conditions established by European legislation.

"We listened to the needs expressed by the companies and worked to build a more flexible, simple tool capable of adapting to market dynamics," added Manca.

(Unioneonline)

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