Low-cost carrier easyJet announced on 22 January 2026 that it will inaugurate two seasonal links between France and Sardinia: Lyon–Olbia and Bordeaux–Cagliari. Both services will operate twice weekly from late June to early September 2026, using 186-seat Airbus A320 aircraft.
The move strengthens point-to-point connectivity for leisure travellers but also offers multinational firms with operations in France and Italy new weekend-commuting options for mobile staff based in the aerospace and biotech clusters of Lyon and Bordeaux. Olbia and Cagliari airports have seen robust demand from meetings-and-incentive organisers targeting the island’s resort infrastructure, and direct flights cut journey times by up to three hours compared with current one-stop itineraries via Milan or Rome.
easyJet’s network planners cite “consistent year-on-year growth in Franco-Italian passenger flows” and the freeing-up of late-afternoon slots at Lyon-Saint-Exupéry as enabling factors. The airline is pitching the routes to small and medium-sized enterprises through its ‘Business Hub’ booking portal, emphasising flexibility and free same-day changes for corporate accounts.
![easyJet adds Lyon-Olbia and Bordeaux-Cagliari routes, boosting France-Sardinia connectivity for summer 2026]()
While French and Italian passport holders enjoy visa-free movement within the Schengen Area, third-country nationals shuttling between the new routes may still require a Schengen visa or Italian work authorisation. VisaHQ’s France platform (https://www.visahq.com/france/) streamlines the process with online eligibility checks, document collection and rapid courier services, enabling travel managers to secure multi-entry permits in parallel with flight and hotel bookings—especially handy for project teams rotating between Lyon, Bordeaux and Sardinia on tight schedules.
Travel-management companies (TMCs) note that Sardinia’s limited winter capacity can create sourcing challenges for long-term expatriate assignments; the new summer frequencies offer an additional repatriation option and could influence project-rotation schedules. Employers should also be aware that Sardinia levies a €2.50 regional tourist tax on each arrival, a cost usually reimbursable under Italian assignment policies.
If the routes perform, easyJet hinted it may consider shoulder-season extensions or add frequencies in 2027, further diversifying France’s regional airport links beyond the traditional Paris hub model.
The move strengthens point-to-point connectivity for leisure travellers but also offers multinational firms with operations in France and Italy new weekend-commuting options for mobile staff based in the aerospace and biotech clusters of Lyon and Bordeaux. Olbia and Cagliari airports have seen robust demand from meetings-and-incentive organisers targeting the island’s resort infrastructure, and direct flights cut journey times by up to three hours compared with current one-stop itineraries via Milan or Rome.
easyJet’s network planners cite “consistent year-on-year growth in Franco-Italian passenger flows” and the freeing-up of late-afternoon slots at Lyon-Saint-Exupéry as enabling factors. The airline is pitching the routes to small and medium-sized enterprises through its ‘Business Hub’ booking portal, emphasising flexibility and free same-day changes for corporate accounts.
While French and Italian passport holders enjoy visa-free movement within the Schengen Area, third-country nationals shuttling between the new routes may still require a Schengen visa or Italian work authorisation. VisaHQ’s France platform (https://www.visahq.com/france/) streamlines the process with online eligibility checks, document collection and rapid courier services, enabling travel managers to secure multi-entry permits in parallel with flight and hotel bookings—especially handy for project teams rotating between Lyon, Bordeaux and Sardinia on tight schedules.
Travel-management companies (TMCs) note that Sardinia’s limited winter capacity can create sourcing challenges for long-term expatriate assignments; the new summer frequencies offer an additional repatriation option and could influence project-rotation schedules. Employers should also be aware that Sardinia levies a €2.50 regional tourist tax on each arrival, a cost usually reimbursable under Italian assignment policies.
If the routes perform, easyJet hinted it may consider shoulder-season extensions or add frequencies in 2027, further diversifying France’s regional airport links beyond the traditional Paris hub model.
