From Silicon Valley to Olbia airport: three new private flights

Direct connections between the U.S. and Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport with private jets are becoming an established summer reality in Gallura. On days between July 13 and 15, 2025 have been tracked three intercontinental private flights coming from American airports, confirming the growing attractiveness of northeastern Sardinia for a high-hanging tourism group.

According to the analysis of Communication and of the UniOlbia Study Centre on data FlightAware, the first flight took off from White Plains (New York) on the evening of July 13, landing in Olbia the next day. The aircraft, a Bombardier Global Express, was operated by the company VistaJet, the world leader in private flights. The flight lasted for 7 hours 34 minutes.

Also on July 13, it left Fort Lauderdale (Florida) a Gulfstream V operated by Axis Aviation Austria, arriving in Olbia on July 14 after a flight of 9 hours and 9 minutes.

Lastly, on July 14, it took off from San Jose (California) a Bombardier Global 7500, still operated by VistaJet, with a scheduled landing in Olbia on the morning of July 15, after a flight of almost 11 hours. The data is particularly relevant because San Jose is located in Santa Clara County, the richest in the United States, which includes a central part of the Silicon Valley.

In mid-July, one of the Silicon Valley protagonists – Sergey Brin, co-founder and co-owner of Google – was in Gallura, between Porto Rotondo and Tavolara, with its superyacht Dragonfly.

By early summer, the first two direct flights: between Friday 27th and Saturday 28th June a Dassault Falcon 7X White Plains (NY), followed by a BD-700 Global Bombardier between Monday, June 30 and Tuesday, July 1, on the same link.

These flights not only represent a high-end tourism dynamic, but also indicate a true global elite: many owners of private jets are also owners of superyacht. The data processed by Cipnes Gallura, UniOlbia and North Sardinia Maritime Directorate show that on 4,600 superyachts drawn along the Gallura coast in summer 2024, 204 have a known property, and 54 are in the name of U.S. citizens.

Economic data also confirms the value of this segment: In 2024, American tourists spent around €57 million in Sardinia. Although it is only tenths by number of international attendance, were found fifth for overall spend: This highlights the high spending capacity and growing interest in the territory.

These direct arrivals reinforce Gallura and Sardinia’s international positioning as high-end sea economy and tourism hub. A positioning that UniOlbia intends to support through specialized university pathways in the strategic supply chain:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Naval Engineering (University of Cagliari)
• Master’s Degree in Naval Engineering (scheduled, University of Cagliari and Naples Federico II)
• Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering (planning, University of Cagliari and Naples Federico II)
• Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Tourism Management (University of Sassari)
• Department of Innovation (in the beginning phase, University of Sassari)