🌊 Olbia’s Weekly Departures Fall Below Ibiza’s
Business jet departures at Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport (LIEO) declined for four consecutive weeks, falling below Ibiza Airport (LEIB) in the final week. Avi-Go data, counting each business jet departure as one movement, show that during the four complete calendar weeks from August 24 to September 20, 2026, Olbia recorded 400, 329, 249, and 199 movements, respectively, a decline of 201 movements, or 50.3%, from the first week to the last. Ibiza recorded 297, 234, 243, and 242 movements over the same period, decreasing by 63 movements in the first two weeks, followed by a difference of only one movement between the final two weeks. In terms of cumulative departures over the four weeks, Olbia remained ahead with 1,177 movements versus Ibiza’s 1,016, but its advantage was concentrated in the first three weeks. From September 14 to September 20, Olbia recorded 43 fewer movements than Ibiza, indicating diverging traffic patterns at the two island airports toward the end of the observation window.
Impact: Olbia’s ground handling and business aviation service providers face a short-term shift in weekly departures from 400 to 199 movements, requiring staffing and apron service demand to be adjusted dynamically based on the latest weekly level. Ibiza remained at 242 to 243 movements during the final two weeks, and its service capacity can temporarily use this range as the near-term operating benchmark. Although the cumulative four-week gap between the two airports was only 161 movements, their weekly rankings have already reversed, meaning that inter-island flight operations and charter sales should not assume identical demand patterns.
Recommendation: Olbia service providers should reassess staffing and vehicle deployment for late September 2026 based on the latest complete-week level of 199 movements, while continuing to monitor whether departures keep declining. Ibiza should focus on whether the plateau of approximately 242 movements over two consecutive weeks can be maintained and use the weekly gap between the two airports as a reference indicator for adjusting resources on Mediterranean island routes.