Aeroitalia has announced its intention to leave air territorial continuity in Sardinia following a meeting on November 2 with the Region, the Ministry of Transport and Enac. CEO Gaetano Intrieri has named January 2027 as a possible target for ending the relationship, but the withdrawal will have to be agreed upon and no firm date has been set. The company cites rising fuel costs and reimbursements it considers insufficient as the reasons for its decision.
The announcement came at the end of a videoconference between the institutions and the carrier. Intrieri said that, in the company’s view, “the conditions no longer exist” to continue, adding that the aim is to avoid service disruptions and bring the arrangement to an orderly close. Aeroitalia operates five of the six routes under the territorial continuity scheme; the Region has acknowledged the company’s intention to give up the routes operated without compensation and referred to the six-month notice period required by regulations.
The economic issue is primarily fuel. According to figures presented by Intrieri, between April and September the average price was 1,460 euros per tonne, compared with the approximately 630 euros used in the tender. The company thus calculates an additional cost of 18.4 million euros; according to the calculations by the Region and Enac, however, Aeroitalia would be entitled to 2.6 million euros for the same period.
The CEO recalled that in May the Region had committed to allocating around 20 million euros in total to Aeroitalia and Ita Airways, to be distributed according to the two companies’ activity. According to Intrieri’s account, the funds had still not arrived by September. The Region replied that the reimbursement procedures were at an advanced stage and that a response from the Ministry and Enac was expected in the following days: the gap between the amounts remains at the heart of the discussions.
The issue is part of discussions over the territorial continuity contract, while the prospect of a withdrawal raises questions about how the routes will be managed. The announcement does not, however, amount to an immediate cessation: the company has said it wants to agree on the timing and terms with the Region, and January is a target, not a final deadline.
Intrieri also stressed that Aeroitalia employs around 800 people, nearly half of them in Sardinia, and said the withdrawal would allow the company to focus its operations on models it considers more sustainable. The next steps in the institutional discussions will therefore have to address both the end of the relationship and the continuity of flights for passengers.