Alghero-Linate, tickets unavailable: the Region had announced an extension

On 14 October, Michele Pais, a Lega city councillor in Alghero, reported that flights on the Alghero-Milan Linate route could not be booked on the ITA Airways website from 25 October. The report concerned ticket sales, while the Region had already announced that the service under the territorial continuity scheme would continue until 31 January 2027.

Pais asked Regional President Alessandra Todde and Transport Councillor Barbara Manca to clarify when bookings would reopen. According to the councillor, the lack of seats available for purchase prevented workers, families and people needing to reach healthcare facilities from planning their trips to Milan and their return to Sardinia.

The report came just days before the end of the service then in effect, scheduled for 24 October. However, on 6 October, the Region had announced that ITA Airways had agreed to extend the connections until 31 January 2027 to ensure continuity during the transition period. The airline would maintain three daily frequencies on the route, according to announcements issued at the time.

The regional announcement therefore distinguished the continuation of flights from the availability of bookings on the website. At the time of the check reported by Pais on 14 October, tickets for dates after 24 October were still not available to purchase. However, the lack of online sales did not mean the connection had been cancelled; the extension was intended to keep it operating.

Pais had also criticised the Region’s handling of the matter and called for a firm date for sales to resume. The urgent negotiated procedure launched to cover the transition period could be set aside thanks to the agreement with ITA; the tender for the subsequent service, however, had received no bids. The Region had said it intended to prepare a new tender for connections from 1 February 2027.

The issue raised by the councillor therefore concerns access to tickets for territorial continuity, not an announcement that flights had actually been suspended. The issue is part of the broader debate on winter flights in Sardinia, but for the Alghero-Linate route, the practical sticking point was the ability to purchase seats after the original service’s end date.