New Route Opportunities at Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport
Our Route Opportunities feature highlights the latest unserved and underserved routes promoted through Routes 360, offering valuable insights for airline network planners to capitalize on emerging travel markets.
Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport (OLB) serves as a vital international gateway to Sardinia, the second-largest island in the Mediterranean, renowned for its breathtaking beaches, rich cultural heritage, and distinctive cuisine. In 2023, OLB experienced a 4% increase in passenger traffic, reaching 3.2 million travelers. This upward trend is expected to continue, with projections estimating 3.8 million passengers in 2024. Notably, over 50% of Sardinia’s air passengers utilize this airport, underscoring its significance in the region.
In the past three years, OLB has made impressive strides in expanding its network, adding 36 new routes and welcoming 16 new airlines. Volotea, which established a base at the airport in 2021, now operates over 20 routes from OLB, with recent expansions to Brest and Paris enhancing connectivity.
During the summer 2024 season, OLB will offer direct flights to 81 destinations across 24 countries, collaborating with 36 airline partners. Ryanair has bolstered its presence with several new routes, including flights to Vienna, Dublin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Bergamo, Bologna, Trieste, Kraków, and London Stansted. Additionally, Eurowings has introduced a bi-weekly service to Hannover, further diversifying OLB’s offerings.
Key to the success of OLB is its customized incentive schemes and strategic partnerships with local stakeholders, including tourism boards, to stimulate inbound traffic and support seat capacity across all routes. This collaborative approach not only enhances passenger flow but also strengthens the overall tourism landscape of Sardinia.
With the infrastructure and operational capability to manage an influx of travelers, OLB is actively seeking to expand its direct services by exploring unserved route opportunities throughout Europe. As a member of Routes 360, the premier digital platform dedicated to route development, OLB has shared multiple route opportunities to attract potential airline partners.
Unserved route opportunities identified by OLB include:
- Albrecht Dürer Airport Nürnberg (NUE)
- Belfast Airport (BFS)
- Bergen Airport (BGO)
- Budapest Airport (BUD)
- East Midlands Airport (EMA)
- Glasgow Airport (GLA)
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
- Helsinki Airport (HEL)
- iGA – Istanbul Airport (IST)
- JFK International Air Terminal (JFK)
- Katowice Airport (KTW)
- Keflavik-Reykjavik Airport (KEF)
- Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA)
- Lisbon Airport (LIS)
- Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LPL)
- London City Airport (LCY)
- Newcastle International Airport (NCL)
- Porto Airport (OPO)
- Santiago Airport (SCQ)
- Seville Airport (SVQ)
- Sofia Airport (SOF)
- Swedavia – Goteborg Landvetter Airport (GOT)
- Tallinn Airport (TLL)
- Vilnius Airport (VNO)
- Wroclaw Airport (WRO)
As OLB continues to enhance its connectivity and attract new airlines, it is poised to become an even more significant hub for international travel to and from Sardinia, ensuring that travelers can easily access this stunning Mediterranean destination.