Olbia Airport Statistics

Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport (OLB) serves as the main aviation gateway to northeastern Sardinia and the Costa Smeralda region, handling over 4 million travelers annually. It functions as a key hub for Mediterranean tourism.

Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport handles over 4 million passengers annually, making it one of Italy’s fastest-growing regional airports and a major entry point for Sardinia’s tourism sector.

• OLB processed 4.16 million passengers in 2025, marking a 7.2% increase over the previous year and setting a new record.
• The airport has surpassed its pre-pandemic recovery, exceeding the 2019 total of 2.98 million passengers by over 39%.
• Passenger traffic dropped sharply during the pandemic, reaching only 1.02 million in 2020, then rebounded with 2.08 million in 2021 and 3.17 million in 2022.
• Growth continued into 2023 with 3.28 million passengers, followed by 3.88 million in 2024.

Domestic vs International Passengers at Olbia Airport

Olbia Airport had a predominantly domestic passenger profile in 2025. This reflects a shift from pre-pandemic years, when international travelers made up the majority.

• Domestic traffic accounted for 2.12 million passengers, or 51% of total volume, representing a 51.4% increase from 2019.
• International passengers totaled 2.01 million, or 48.3% of overall traffic, reflecting a 29.7% increase over pre-pandemic figures.
• The remaining 0.7% belongs to non-commercial passengers.

Olbia Airport’s market is led by low-cost carriers, especially during the summer season. VistaJet, Volotea and easyJet dominate operations.

• Volotea operates the most flights with 28 routes.
• easyJet follows with 16 routes, and Ryanair serves 10 routes.
• Eurowings and Tui Fly round out the top five, serving 8 and 6 routes, respectively.

• In the 2024 summer season, the airport offered 154 routes to 89 destinations, up from 73 destinations in summer 2023.
• There were 105 international routes operated by 43 airlines serving 26 countries.
• Domestic flights focus mainly on Italy’s major hubs, with Milan (Linate and Malpensa) and Rome Fiumicino providing year-round service.

Olbia Airport handles modest volumes of cargo each year.

• In 2025, it managed 1,391.5 metric tons, up from 1,322.4 metric tons in 2024.
• Cargo traffic dropped sharply in 2020 to 5.8 metric tons, down from 93.5 metric tons in 2019.
• Since then, the trend has been upward with 149.2 metric tons in 2021, 733.7 metric tons in 2022, and 903.4 metric tons in 2023, continuing to grow steadily.

• October 3, 2021: A privately operated Pilatus PC-12 crashed after departing Milan-Linate en route to Olbia, resulting in eight fatalities. The crash was attributed to loss of control in instrument conditions.
• January 13, 1999: A Swearingen SA226AT Merlin IV cargo aircraft was damaged beyond repair during landing. Both pilots survived.
• September 2, 1983: A Cessna 411 charter flight crashed shortly after takeoff, killing four people and injuring two.