Sunny days ahead L
Cagliari Airport has managed to achieve double-digit traffi c growth despite the slowdown in Europe. Vincenzo Mareddu, spoke to Lucy Siebert about the success of its air service development strategy.
et’s face it, the past three years have been exceptionally challenging for European airports of all sizes, what with
fi nancial 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 traffi c 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 signifi cant contribution to Sardinia’s tourism and economic development.
“Over the past two years we have registered very good traffi c 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 signifi cant 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 traffi c growth, but is also quick to point out that
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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 signifi cant 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 signifi cantly 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 identifi ed 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 traffi c, as well as leisure traffi c. “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
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