Olbia Costa Smeralda airport March 2026: international passengers nearly doubled (+99.5%)
Italy’s Assaeroporti has just released the March 2026 figures, and they tell a story that matters for anyone planning a Sardinia trip from the UK or further afield. Olbia Costa Smeralda closed the month with 98,935 passengers, +12.1% on March 2025. But the headline number is different: international passengers nearly doubled in one month, +99.5%.
Useful for booking: Compare car hire from Olbia · Find hotels in Olbia · Tip: between March and July prices can triple.
The March 2026 numbers: Olbia accelerates faster than Alghero and Cagliari
Source: Assaeroporti official dataset, OLB airport (Olbia Costa Smeralda), March 2026.
| Segment | March 2026 | vs March 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic passengers | 83,625 | +4.1% |
| International passengers | 14,891 | +99.5% |
| Total | 98,935 | +12.1% |
| Aircraft movements | 1,110 | +17.0% |
Comparison with the other two Sardinian airports
| Airport | PAX March 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Cagliari-Elmas | 319,888 | +6.4% |
| Olbia Costa Smeralda | 98,935 | +12.1% |
| Alghero-Fertilia | 82,788 | +6.4% |
Cagliari is still the largest in absolute terms, but Olbia is the one growing fastest in percentage terms, almost double the others. And on international flights it’s living the same story as Alghero (which posted +151.7% in March): the summer season is structurally expanding into March and April.
Q1 2026
Q1 2026 cumulative for Olbia: 238,089 passengers (+3.5%). March’s growth alone pushes the quarter back into positive territory after a flat January and February. This is exactly the dynamic GEASAR (the airport operator) is describing: the summer IATA season starting 29 March arrives with 4.8 million planned seats, +7.2% on last year, across 134 connections and 96 destinations, 74 of them international.
The most visible seasonal novelty is the new Delta Air Lines direct route Olbia–New York JFK, operational from 21 May 2026 with four weekly frequencies. It’s the first ever transatlantic connection from the Gallurese airport.
What it means for shoulder-season travellers
March–April is the time when Costa Smeralda isn’t quite “Costa Smeralda” yet: uncertain weather, hotels reopening in stages, and (most importantly) car hire prices much lower than August. The classic trap: booking a car in June assuming “it’s the usual price anyway”. It isn’t: between March and July, rates can triple.
For two or three days exploring between Olbia, Porto Cervo, Golfo Aranci and San Teodoro, there’s also a bus option, especially if you’re travelling as a couple and don’t want to drive. ARST (Trasporti Regionali della Sardegna) runs the lines connecting the airport and the city centre to the main coastal towns.
Gallura beaches reachable by bus from Olbia
From Olbia city and from the airport, ARST lines run to the main coastal municipalities of north-eastern Gallura. Some famous beaches remain accessible only by car or private shuttle; others are genuinely reachable by bus:
- Pittulongu – Olbia, urban line
- La Playa – Olbia, urban line
- Porto Istana – seasonal line
- La Cinta – San Teodoro
- Cala Brandinchi – San Teodoro, seasonal
- Golfo Aranci beaches – coastal line
For the full list and current schedules, the ARST bus lines can be filtered by departure town.
What’s next
If March is already up +12.1% and GEASAR is planning +7.2% more seats for the summer, the season looks set to be a record one in actual traffic too. The April figures, expected by late May, will tell us whether the trend is structural or whether March benefited from an early Easter effect.
For trip planning: in the shoulder season it’s worth booking with flexibility on both accommodation and car hire, since Sardinian weather in March is unpredictable, and the bus can be a great alternative for 2–3 days.