Olbia. Customs in the private terminal, and on the road to Porto Cervo within minutes.
Olbia has a single private aviation terminal, and it is a good one, with its own lounges, customs and direct ramp access. We plan the car around its published hours, so even a late arrival in August is agreed before you take off.
The terminal
Olbia business aviation, at a glance
- AirportOlbia Costa Smeralda (OLB / LIEO)About four kilometres from the centre of Olbia, at the head of the gulf, with the Costa Smeralda beginning half an hour to the north.
- The terminalEccelsa AviationThe airport's dedicated private aviation terminal, roughly five thousand square metres, open since 2009, with its own lounges, customs and immigration and direct ramp access.
- HoursPublished, not continuousThe terminal publishes a long day rather than round the clock cover, every day of the year, with an extension available on request and at a charge.
- The seasonLate May to early OctoberRoughly four fifths of the private traffic falls inside it. Outside those months Olbia is a quiet regional field and everything about it is easy.
Cars in Sardinia are arranged through operators we know and brief. Odyssey Connections owns its cars and employs its chauffeurs in London and Manchester, with a trusted global network everywhere else.
Planning it
A late arrival in August is a plan, not a hope
Eccelsa is the only private terminal on the field, so there is no question of which building to use. The question is the clock. The terminal publishes an opening and a closing time, and movements outside them are arranged in advance and charged for rather than simply accepted. If your flight plan has you landing late in the evening, that is something your operator agrees with the terminal beforehand. It is entirely normal, and it is not something anyone can fix at half past ten at night.
The second Sardinian reality is the apron. Olbia is a coordinated airport and in July and August the scarce item is the stand, not the runway. Aircraft frequently drop their passengers and reposition to Cagliari, Rome or Pisa, returning for the departure. That is your operator's problem to solve, but it firms up your departure time, so it is better known when the week is being planned than on the morning you leave.
The drive is the pleasant part, with one caveat. Everything north of the airport funnels through Arzachena, and Arzachena is where an August afternoon slows down. A changeover Saturday adds to that again. The figures below are honest rather than optimistic, and we would rather tell you that Porto Cervo is an hour on the wrong afternoon than pretend it is always thirty five minutes.
How we work with the terminal
Coordinated, not improvised
- 01
Details
Tail number, operator, passengers, luggage and the villa, hotel or marina, from you or from your flight department.
- 02
Coordination
We speak to the terminal about the timing, where the vehicle should wait, and whether ramp access applies to your movement.
- 03
Tracking
The aircraft is followed by tail number, and the car moves when the arrival time moves rather than after it has landed.
- 04
Arrival
Luggage handled with the terminal staff, and the car is on the road north within minutes.
Onward
Typical drive times from Olbia
| 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 |
Realistic ranges, not promises. The road north runs through Arzachena and that is where it slows, particularly on August afternoons and on changeover Saturdays.
Worth knowing
Sardinian detail that earns its place
The things an assistant booking an August week needs to have settled.
- Terminal hours checked against the actual arrival and departure times, and an out of hours movement agreed by the operator in advance
- Ramp side collection where the terminal permits it for your movement, arranged ahead rather than asked for on the day
- The marina berth and the passerelle time named, because a great many Olbia arrivals end at a boat in Porto Cervo rather than at a hotel
- Villa addresses given as a pinned location with a gate arrangement. The Costa Smeralda is generous with private roads and thin on street numbers
- Return timings built around Arzachena, not around the map. The departure end of an August Saturday is the slow end
- If the aircraft is still being arranged, one enquiry covers both. See private jet charter and London to Sardinia
Request a quote
Tell us the movement
Date, tail number or operator, passengers, luggage, and the villa, hotel or marina berth. Nothing is booked or charged online.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About the Olbia terminal
Is there more than one private terminal at Olbia?
No. Eccelsa Aviation is the dedicated private aviation terminal on the field, and it handles the business aviation movements. There is no building to choose between.
Can we land late in the evening?
Often, but it is arranged in advance rather than assumed. The terminal publishes its hours and movements outside them are agreed beforehand and carry a charge. Your operator arranges it.
Can the car meet the aircraft?
The terminal offers direct ramp access, subject to the arrangements for each movement. We confirm which applies to your flight before you land.
Will the aircraft wait on the island?
In July and August, frequently not. Stands are the scarce item and aircraft commonly reposition to the mainland and return. It is routine, and it fixes your departure time more firmly than you may expect.
Are these your own cars and chauffeurs?
Odyssey Connections owns its cars and employs its chauffeurs in London and Manchester, with a trusted global network everywhere else. In Sardinia the car comes from an operator we know and brief, and we stay responsible for the arrangement.
