Olbia Costa Smeralda. Forty minutes from the aircraft to Porto Cervo.
Sardinia's north east coast has one airport and one season. Eight out of ten private movements through Olbia happen between late May and early October, and in August the aircraft usually drops you and leaves.
The airport
Olbia at a glance
- CodesOLB / LIEOAbout 4 kilometres from the centre of Olbia, at the head of the gulf, with the Costa Smeralda beginning half an hour north.
- RunwayOne runway of about 2,445 metresComfortable for light, midsize and super midsize aircraft and for most heavy jets, with performance limits on the largest types on a hot afternoon.
- General aviation terminalEccelsa AviationA dedicated private aviation terminal of roughly 5,000 square metres, open since 2009, with its own lounges, customs and immigration and direct ramp access.
- The seasonAround 80 per cent of the trafficFalls between late May and early October. Outside those months Olbia is a quiet regional field and everything is easy.
Olbia is a coordinated airport, so slots are allocated rather than assumed, and in July and August the stands are the scarce item rather than the runway. Your operator and the handler deal with all of it. What it means for you is whether the aircraft can wait on the island.
Journey times
From Olbia up the coast
| To | Quiet roads | July and August |
|---|---|---|
| Olbia town and the port | 10 to 15 minutes | 15 to 25 minutes |
| Porto Rotondo | 25 to 30 minutes | 30 to 45 minutes |
| Cala di Volpe and Romazzino | 30 to 35 minutes | 40 to 55 minutes |
| Porto Cervo and the marina | 30 to 40 minutes | 45 to 60 minutes |
| Poltu Quatu | 35 to 45 minutes | 45 to 65 minutes |
| Baja Sardinia | 40 to 45 minutes | 50 to 70 minutes |
| Palau and the Maddalena ferry | 45 to 55 minutes | 1 hour to 1 hour 20 |
| San Teodoro and the south of the gulf | 30 to 40 minutes | 40 to 60 minutes |
Realistic ranges, not promises. The road north runs through Arzachena and that is where it slows, particularly on August afternoons and on changeover Saturdays. Cars in Sardinia are arranged through operators we know; our own fleet and chauffeurs are in London and Manchester.
August in practice
Drop and go, and why it is normal
In high summer Olbia simply runs out of room to park business aircraft. The standard answer, and the one your operator will usually propose, is a drop and go: the aircraft brings you in, the passengers and luggage come off, and it repositions empty to Cagliari, Rome, Pisa or the mainland until the return leg. It is not a downgrade and it is not a sign of a thin operator. It is how the island works in August, and it is priced into a sensible quote from the start.
The practical consequences are worth stating plainly. A flexible departure time becomes less flexible, because the aircraft has to be brought back. A same day change of plan is harder. And the ground side has to be right first time, because there is no aircraft sitting on the apron to absorb a mistake. This is exactly the sort of movement where having one person holding the aircraft, the car and the boat together earns its place.
Out of season the whole picture relaxes. From October to May the airport is quiet, stands are available, and a car and an aircraft can be arranged at a few days' notice. Clients who use a house on the Costa Smeralda in the shoulder months find it a completely different experience from the one they remember from August.
Planning it well
What we ask about first
Six things that shape a Costa Smeralda arrival.
- The exact destination. Porto Cervo, Cala di Volpe, Romazzino and Poltu Quatu are all close together on the map and quite different drives, and the private estate roads take time
- Whether a yacht is involved, and the berth. See Porto Cervo marina and yacht charter
- The luggage. Sardinia trips travel heavy, and a light jet full of passengers may not take the cases. A second car meets a surprising number of arrivals
- The changeover day. Saturdays and Sundays in late July and August are the worst of the roads and the busiest for the airport
- The September regatta weeks in Porto Cervo, when the marina fills with sailing crews and the hotels and cars go with it
- Whether the aircraft is staying. In peak season it usually is not, and that changes the charter. See on demand charter
Onward
Around a Sardinia trip
Request a quote
Tell us the arrival
Date and time, tail number or operator, passengers and luggage, and the hotel, villa or berth. If the aircraft is dropping and repositioning, tell us the planned return so we can hold the car for it. We come back with a clear price and an honest drive time. Nothing is booked or charged online.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About Olbia arrivals
Are these your own cars?
No. Our own fleet and our own chauffeurs are in London and Manchester. In Sardinia cars are arranged through operators we know, and one person at Odyssey holds the whole movement together.
Why does the aircraft have to leave?
Because in July and August there is rarely a stand free for the length of a holiday. The aircraft repositions to the mainland and returns for the departure. Your operator will quote it that way.
How long is the drive to Porto Cervo really?
Half an hour on a clear road, and three quarters of an hour or more on an August afternoon when Arzachena is busy. We quote the range, not the best case.
Can the car come to the aircraft?
Where the terminal permits it for your movement. Otherwise the car waits at the private terminal door. We confirm before you land.
Can you help with a tender or a boat transfer?
Yes. Give us the marina and the berth and we will plan the car to the right quay rather than the right postcode. See yacht charter.
Can you arrange the aircraft as well?
Yes. See private jet charter and what charter costs.