Delays in abolishing the municipal surcharge are the official cause of Ryanair 's cuts at northern Sardinia's airports. However, the increased number of flights at Cagliari Airport is also having a potential knock-on effect, particularly on the airports' controversial privatization process, already the subject of investigations, appeals, and scrutiny by the Court of Auditors.

The Irish airline announced yesterday a reduction in flights to Sardinia, but only those at the privately managed airports of Alghero and Olbia will be cut. Meanwhile, at Cagliari, where the airport is still publicly owned, flights are being increased: more flights to Malpensa and Venice, and a new route to Forlì. Ryanair is justifying the cuts by the continued elimination of boarding taxes, a condition common to all three Sardinian airports. But the treatment is different.

The issue brings up the privatization of Cagliari-Elmas airport. There's a strong sense of backtracking on this operation, with the public tender being reassigned. Rumors are insistent in the Regional Council, so much so that the possibility of a 49% tender is already being floated. And the interest of the F2i fund, which already manages Alghero and Olbia, in a minority stake remains to be seen.

Furthermore, along this path, the first transversal openings are emerging regarding the regional resources to be committed to the process. The €30 million allocated in the Budget Law could even be increased, perhaps to €50 million, precisely to allow the public sector greater decision-making power over air transport strategies to ensure the mobility of Sardinians.

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