In 2027, it will be possible to reach the United States directly from the airport of Olbia with two airlines. United Airlines will add three weekly flights to Newark to Delta Airlines’ four weekly services to New York-JFK: in the weeks when their schedules overlap, the total number of flights will rise to seven. The expansion aims to serve both travellers heading to Sardinia and those departing from the island.
The new United service will begin on May 27, 2027 and connect Olbia with Newark, one of the airports serving the New York area. The airline announced the service in August; the United direct flight will complement Delta’s route, which is already operating in the 2026 season. The two carriers will serve different airports: Delta flies to JFK, while United will serve Newark.
The phrase “seven flights a week” refers to the combined frequencies of the two airlines when both are operating: three for United and four for Delta. It does not mean that each carrier flies every day. The new route therefore offers an additional option for travel between Gallura and the United States, without necessarily having to connect through other Italian or European airports.
2026 season data
The results of the route in the season that has just ended helped support the expansion. According to data provided by Geasar, the company that manages Gallura’s airport, the route to New York carried around 32,000 passengers between May and October 2026. The average aircraft load factor was 80 per cent, indicating interest in the service from both US visitors and Sardinian passengers.
The new flight comes amid growing traffic from the United States. According to data from the Sardinia Region cited by the publication, over the past two years the number of US tourist stays has increased by 80 per cent across the island and by more than 93 per cent in Gallura. The United States is identified as the leading non-European market for tourism in Sardinia. For 2024, the research centre of Cipnes Gallura UniOlbia recorded around 141,000 US tourist stays across the 26 municipalities of north-eastern Sardinia.