Sardinia Territorial Continuity: ITA Airways returns to Cagliari (and "allies" with Volotea). All the news from 2026

The new call for the territorial continuity airplane to and from Sardinia enters into full swing and brings with it several new features. One above all: the collaboration between ITA Airways e Volotea. The two companies, in fact, presented a joint offer for some of the key routes, marking a possible step change in the pattern of facilitated connections between the Island, Rome and Milan.

ITA and Volotea 'ally': "Ensuring efficient, regular and quality air connections for Sardinian citizens."

ITA Airways and Volotea have decided to participate together in the bidding process for the Cagliari-Rome Fiumicino and Olbia-Milan Linate routes, pledging to form a Temporary Grouping of Companies in case of award. The stated goal is to guarantee Sardinian residents a service reliable, continuous throughout the year and with affordable rates, in line with the purposes of territorial continuity.

More connections thanks to interline agreement

The collaboration between ITA and Volotea, however, is not limited to bidding. Also already operational is a interline agreement which allows passengers to purchase a single ticket for combined itineraries, with baggage transferred directly to the final destination. The hub of the agreement is Rome Fiumicino, from which more than one hundred new connection opportunities open up, effectively expanding travel options for those flying to and from Sardinia.

The opening of envelopes: which carriers submitted bids (and for which routes)

During a public meeting yesterday, Monday, Dec. 15, at the Regional Department of Transportation, the following were envelopes opened with bids for the new territorial continuity service, which will come into effect as of March 29, 2026, coinciding with the start of the aviation summer.

The picture that emerges sees broad carrier participation, with Aeroitalia present on most routes. Getting more specific, on the routes Cagliari-Rome Fiumicino e Olbia-Milan Linate the challenge is between Aeroitalia and the ITA Airways-Volotea tandem; however, flights remain unbid for Alghero-Milan Linate, while on the Alghero-Rome Fiumicino and Cagliari-Linate routes only one proposal came from Aeroitalia. Finally, for the Olbia-Rome Fiumicino route only Aeroitalia and Volotea submitted a bid (this time, however, without ITA).

The region has already clarified that the absence of bids on a route is not an immediate criticality: in fact, for Alghero-Linate, a new procedure is planned, with a more relaxed time frame thanks to the Extension of the current arrangement until fall 2026.

What the "new" territorial continuity model provides for

Let's put our hands together right away: there is no upheaval than in the past, just a few improvement. The notice introduces a slightly revamped approach compared to the past, built, the region says, on the real needs of residents, workers, students or patients traveling for health reasons. Among the main new features are. the structural increase in frequencies, a More balanced distribution of schedules throughout the day (in four bands: 6:00-9:00 a.m., 9:00-1:00 p.m., 1:00-6:30 p.m., 6:30-11:00 p.m.) and subsidized rates for residents, with capped prices on routes to Rome and Milan.

The goal, evidently, is to ensure the possibility of going and returning in the day and ensure stable connections even during periods of low season, overcoming discontinuities that in the past-and Sardinians know this all too well-have often penalized the Island.

Eyes on March 2026: what happens next

In the coming months the Tender Board will proceed with the verification of the administrative documentation, followed by the Commission's analysis of the technical and economic bids. Only at the end of this process will come the assignments definitive.

If the outcome is positive, as of March 29, 2026, Sardinia could count on a territorial continuity system-hopefully more solid, with the return of ITA Airways on some key routes, some in partnership with Volotea. A crucial step for the island's mobility and for thousands of passengers who depend on subsidized flights each year to travel between Sardinia and the Peninsula.