Eccelsa Aviation’s brand new private terminal at Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport was inaugurated on June 27, 2009. Inside, the eye is drawn along the sleek, elegant lines of the architecture, while beautifully designed lighting creates an incredible feeling of intimacy. More than 40,000 passengers pass through the terminal each year. Most of the travellers are, of course, bound for the Costa Smeralda, the legendary tourist haven whose emerald seas are renowned as the most beautiful in the world.
It is impossible to say exactly how many of these passengers go to Porto Cervo and the other famous locations on the Northern Sardinian coast for business, and how many for leisure. The reason is simple: it has been fashionable for quite some time now to mix the two on the Costa, creating business opportunities in the holiday location, and moving business and public relations meetings to the sea. It is often a logical next step that allows all concerned to take advantage of the great weather and superb infrastructure and facilities offered by an area that has been catering to large numbers of discerning celebrity guests for almost 50 years now.
Luxury location
There are many good reasons why Eccelsa Aviation is our Best Fixed Based Operator, Europe, 2013. It offers an exceptional combination of absolute professionalism and that extra touch of charm one would expect of an airport serving one of Europe’s most prestigious tourist destinations. It is located just 2km (less than five minutes by car) from the new Marina di Olbia, which accommodates yachts of all sizes and provides superbly discreet transfers to and from the airport. This is a unique plus as it is the only aviation terminal in the Mediterranean allowing travellers to start their holiday on the Costa within a few minutes of touching down, without the hassle of long car drives or helicopter hops.
Added to this, the Eccelsa Terminal is home to 4,500sq m of retail space, featuring boutiques of major brands like Royal Cashmere, De Grisogono, Cucinelli and Ambrosio with Zegna, luxury eyewear brands, a shop offering a highly select range of wines and local products, a quality restaurant, and even conference rooms.
The transfer is so convenient that many passengers journey to their villas by helicopter and send on their luggage by car
The designer terminal is fashioned from glass and local yellow granite stone, and boasts a feature that makes it unique in Europe: a special aeroplane canopy, allowing passengers to enter and leave the terminal directly from their aircraft, in total comfort, whatever the weather.
Over the last ten years, Eccelsa has doubled the number of aircraft movements it deals with, rising from less then 7,000 to over 13,000 per year, with July and August being the busiest months in the skies over the Costa Smeralda. Private 747s, Airbus 340s, as well as Boeing 767s, 777s and a variety of other very large and large aircraft sit in the 10-hectare aircraft ramp in the peak season, forming stunning scenery of amazing machines arranged in executive configuration.
Whether the final destination is a beautiful villa, a five-star hotel, the latest super yacht – or attendance at one of the many events and regatta organised by the exclusive Yacht Club Costa Smeralda – Eccelsa Aviation assures the arrival and departure of all passengers in total comfort, safety and security.
It’s just a short hop from the air terminal to a helipad-sporting megayacht riding at anchor off the Costa. In fact, this mode of transfer is so convenient and quick that many passengers opt to make the journey to their hotels or villas by helicopter and simply send on their luggage by car.
First-class details
The Eccelsa concierge service will organise anything and everything for passengers, from the very common requests of hotel accommodation, transportation service and in-flight first-class catering, to horse treks, aircraft and helicopter charters as well as renting a Ferrari, an Aston Martin or a Bentley. Its personnel can even arrange both bareboat and skippered yacht charters.
The Eccelsa in-flight catering service alone offers a list of over 100 menu choices ranging from simple sandwiches to lobster. Needless to say, the emphasis is on carefully selected, quality Italian and Sardinian foods and wines. The Meridiana Maintenance Department (Eccelsa is a company belonging to the Meridiana Group, the second-largest carrier in Italy), of course, offers first-class technical assistance with a team dedicated to the Private Aviation Sector, while there are also integrated services for flight personnel and air taxi companies, which account for quite a significant part of the air traffic touching down at Olbia Costa Smeralda.
Eccelsa Aviation is one of the reasons why people who like holidaying in truly special locations choose to come to Sardinia. The service is first class: always delivered with a natural charm and with absolute respect for the customer’s privacy. The whole business holiday experience is taken to a different level here.
Although business and holidays once seemed like two completely separate worlds, never destined to meet, they have now become two parts of the same whole, quite naturally, on the Costa Smeralda.
