Let’s face it, the past three years have been exceptionally challenging for European airports of all sizes, what with financial crises hitting economic growth in a number of key countries; government taxation on aviation; and some airlines disappearing altogether. This has not, however, been the experience for Cagliari Airport in sunny Sardinia, which has managed to buck the trend by growing its number of airline clients and its route network, registering double-digit traffic growth and announcing a number of new infrastructure developments.
Chairman of Cagliari Airport (operated by Sogaer), Vincenzo Mareddu, took the time to sit down with Routes News in Sardinia to explain how this small regional gateway has managed to make such a significant contribution to Sardinia’s tourism and economic development.
“Over the past two years we have registered very good traffic growth with double-digit numbers. In 2008, we grew over 8% and in 2009 it was nearly 14%. These increases were due to a number of new airlines at the airport, especially low-cost carriers, with one airline [Ryanair] having a significant effect on arrival numbers, with a number of new routes. Since March 2009, Ryanair has had two aircraft based in Cagliari.”
Supporting the airlines
Mareddu readily admits that the Irish low-cost carrier has had a major impact on the airport’s network and traffic growth, but is also quick to point out that his team is committed to working with all carriers that have an interest in the Sardinian market. “Ryanair is very important as it has a significant market share, but all airlines are important to us, as we are focused on diversifying the airlines at the airport to avoid any kind of monopolistic situation,” he says.
Cagliari Airport is focused on online marketing and invests significantly in airlines’ websites, as well as organising press trips and fam trips to promote the destination in the local media and travel trade.
Other major airline players at Cagliari include Meridiana, easyJet, Air Berlin, Alitalia and Air One.
With a strong presence in the traditional Western European markets, including UK, Germany, France and Spain, Cagliari Airport is now keen to spread its reach to new, emerging markets. “Russia is a very important market and one that we are aiming at, as well as other parts of Eastern Europe. We had also been looking at new markets in North Africa but, in light of the current situation, we will be waiting and seeing how things go there,” he explains.
Cruising in Cagliari
The political instability in North Africa has, however, had some positives for Cagliari’s tourism industry, Mareddu says. “This is a very unlucky moment for some North African destinations but it has turned out to be good for us in a way, as a lot of cruise companies that were meant to stop in those regions are now changing their itineraries to visit Cagliari. This includes Costa, MSC and Royal Caribbean.”
The arrival of more cruise ships and their passengers in Sardinia is ideal for Cagliari Airport, which has already identified cruises as a major future growth opportunity. “The airport is only 7km from the city centre and the port, so one of our objectives is to work with stakeholders to get cruises to depart from Cagliari so we can create a good synergy between the airport and the port,” he explains.
The proximity of the airport and the port means that there are also opportunities for cargo initiatives, Mareddu adds.
New general aviation terminal
In terms of infrastructure developments, Cagliari will be showcasing its new general aviation terminal at Routes Europe in May and will be using the opportunity to demonstrate that it is committed to growing its share of domestic and international business traffic, as well as leisure traffic. “We have invested in general aviation because it is a growing trend in Europe and we realised that we could not accommodate the demand. Our infrastructure was not keeping up, so we decided to invest €1.2 million for the building.” Other projects include increasing the apron area for general aviation and commercial aircraft, and upgrading some of the roads around the airport.
Showcasing Sardinia
As the host of Routes Europe, Mareddu and his team are keen to showcase Sardinia’s many attractions and tourism developments. The most important of these is, of course, the island’s sunshine. In fact, Sardinia is the sunniest region in Italy, which is a major contributor to Cagliari Airport’s work with airlines in encouraging them to operate year-round services.
“We are the sunniest region in Italy and have an average temperature of 21 degrees Celsius all year round. We have had an issue with seasonality in the past, but we do work very hard with airlines to encourage them to operate year-round, and now most of our services actually operate all year round.” I can testify that, despite a quick rain shower in the morning, Cagliari was warm and balmy with a pleasant breeze in mid March, so Routes Europe in May should be accompanied by plenty of sunshine.
With sunshine come beaches, and Sardinia is blessed with vast stretches of untouched beaches, along with fantastic natural surroundings, which are perfect for outdoor enthusiasts and families. Golf continues to be a growing segment, and art and culture tourism is also being heavily promoted, explains Mareddu. Cagliari and the Sardinian region remains a high-end destination, Mareddu adds, noting: “We are the Italian region with the highest concentration of four-star hotels. We also have a number of renowned five-star hotels, one of which is the Forte Village.”
With this natural heritage and high-end tourism product, Sardinia is well placed to tap into the emerging European markets in the east, as well as Russia. However, Mareddu is quick to point out that the Italian government has also committed itself to encouraging growth in the aviation industry, as well as regaining Italy’s position as the leading arts and culture destination in Europe.
“Italy does not tax air travel heavily and we do not have the environmental taxes like the UK and Germany do, and like Ireland had in the past. The new German tax imposed by Angela Merkel of €8 has already resulted in us seeing a decrease in the number of flights between our airport and Germany,” he says.
With Sardinia’s outstanding tourism attractions, Cagliari Airport’s good news air service development story and ACI EUROPE’s Regional Airport Forum’s Conference and Exhibition being co-located with Routes Europe, we are guaranteed an exceptional event at the Forte Village in May.
This issue appears in Routes News 2011 Issue 3
