The costs of airline tickets for connections between Sardinia and European Union countries are reduced by 25% for all residents. This was decided by the Regional Council, which extended the social aid regime previously reserved for under 26s and over 65s to the entire Sardinian population. Routes in territorial continuity are excluded and the contribution can be requested until the available funds are exhausted , approximately 5 million for 2024.

The measure is called "Social aid for air transport" and also serves to increase the use of benefits which, according to what was reported by the regional transport councilor Barbara Manca, was «below the initial forecasts. at the moment, in fact, reimbursement requests have been submitted for an amount equal to approximately 50,000 euros".

THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE

The available resources amount to approximately 6,500,000 euros for the year 2023 and 4,965,406 euros starting from 2024. The contribution is eligible until the available financial resources are exhausted.

THE MEASURE

The measure consists of a contribution to the price of the airline ticket, including all taxes and expenses invoiced by the carrier to the user (services such as extra baggage, priority boarding, etc. are included), on the connecting routes between Sardinia and airports located within the European Economic Area: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Countries Netherlands and Poland. The only routes excluded are those with territorial continuity.

THE AUDIENCE OF BENEFICIARIES

The main element of the new proposal is the extension of the measure to all citizens resident in Sardinia, regardless of age groups. Until now, contributions could only be requested by young people up to 26 years of age and by those over 65. The expansion of the audience also has retroactive effect, i.e. for all flights carried out starting from 14.12.2023 but the amount of contribution will be calculated with the new method only for flights used starting from 01.07.2024.

HOW THE CONTRIBUTION IS CALCULATED

For flights used from 01.07.2024 to 31.12.2024 the contribution covers 25% of the ticket price for each route and per user up to a maximum of 125 euros with a ticket cost of 500 euros. As in the previous version, the contribution on flights starts with fares from 100 euros upwards.

For flights until 30.6.2024 the previous system applies: with fares between 100 and 125 euros, a contribution of 25 euros was expected, between 125.01 euros and 175 euros, the contribution rose to 50 euros. From 175.01 euros onwards, a refund of 75 euros was triggered, the maximum contribution threshold according to the previous system. As you can see, the maximum contribution therefore goes from 75 to 125 euros for each route.

CONNECTIONS WITH AIRPORT

Connections made through an intermediate stopover between an airport located in Sardinia and a destination within the European Economic Area are also to be considered eligible for the purposes of providing social assistance for air transport. This is also valid in cases where the intermediate stop is made in one of the Rome Fiumicino or Milan Linate airports, whose flights to/from Sardinia are currently operated under public service obligations as part of territorial continuity. For the purposes of admissibility of the relevant requests, it is necessary that the route is purchased as a single ticket. However, cases in which the user has made two different bookings are not admissible, even if the intermediate airport of arrival/departure from/to the Sardinian airports is the same: e.g. Flight 1 Alghero-Milan Linate and Flight 2 Milan Linate-Copenhagen, relating to two separate bookings.

SPECIAL CASES

Combined ticket for multiple people. If the amount relating to the individual beneficiary cannot be clearly deduced from the flight documents, from the information held by the user and/or in any case requested from the relevant airline, it will be possible to consider, in the calculation of the expense declared for the individual user, the total expense divided equally among travellers.

Tickets, including cumulative ones (for multiple people and/or routes), purchased from intermediaries/travel agencies. The possibility of recognition of the contribution is also permitted in the case of tickets, including cumulative ones (for multiple people and/or routes), purchased on the online sales channels of travel agencies, provided that they are net of service/agency costs, which they must be clearly visible from the invoice or equivalent documentation presented when completing the request.

Tickets, including cumulative ones, purchased by sports associations, educational institutions and other similar entities. The possibility of recognition of the contribution is permitted, even in the case of cumulative tickets (for multiple people and/or routes), purchased by sports associations, educational institutions and other similar entities. The application can be presented by the beneficiary himself or by attaching the self-certification form prepared for this purpose by the regional transport department.

TIMES AND METHOD OF SUBMITTING APPLICATIONS

Contribution requests relating to flights used throughout the experimental period, between 14.12.2023 and 31.12.2024, can be submitted by 31.03.2025, therefore without any deadline restriction determined by the date of execution of the flight. The refund request must be submitted through the IT platform, unique at regional level, called "SardegnaTrasporti", online since last March available at the following link: https://sardegnatrasporti.regione.sardegna.it/ .

THE ROLE OF LOCAL AUTHORITIES

The Municipalities or their associated managements (for example Unions of Municipalities or Plus) will be responsible for the investigation of the requests presented by residents in their territory and for the disbursement of contributions to those entitled and the reporting to the Regional Transport Department. To meet the financial difficulties encountered in the first experimental period (only 2 advance payments and a balance were foreseen), the modification made with the current DGR allows a first substantial advance payment equal to 60% of the total available fund to be distributed among the Local authorities based on the resident population as of 12.31.2023.

(Unioneonline)

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