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Alisarda

Alisarda S.p.A., operating as Alisarda, was an Italian airline based in Olbia, Sardinia that operated between 1963 and 1991 before it merged with Universair to become Meridiana. As of 2019, Alisarda S.p.A. is a holding company with a 51% stake in Meridiana successor airline Air Italy.

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Jul 20, 2026
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Alisarda
Douglas DC-9-14
IATA ICAO Call sign
IG ISS ALISARDA
FoundedMarch 1963 (1963-03)
Commenced operationsMay 1966 (1966-05)
Ceased operations1991 (Renamed Meridiana)
Operating basesOlbia, Italy

Alisarda S.p.A., operating as Alisarda, was an Italian airline based in Olbia, Sardinia that operated between 1963 and 1991 before it merged with Universair to become Meridiana. As of 2019, Alisarda S.p.A. is a holding company with a 51% stake in Meridiana successor airline Air Italy.1

History

Alisarda 1973 logo source ↗

Alisarda was founded by the Aga Khan in March 1963 (1963-03) as an air taxi and charter company to serve the Costa Smeralda.23 Scheduled operations began in May 1966 (1966-05).3 The airline used Nord 2624 aircraft between Olbia and Rome. These were replaced in 1969 by the Fokker F27 Friendship and with those aircraft, routes to Pisa, Bologna and Cagliari were commenced. The next aircraft type to be introduced was the Douglas DC-9-14 twin-jet airliner with which charter flights to Germany were started. By 1975 the fleet was wholly composed of DC-9s. In the early 1980s it was an associate company of Consorzio Della Costa Smeralda in which Prince Karim Aga Khan had a majority shareholding.4

In 1986, Alisarda took 50% ownership of the newly created Avianova.2 In mid-1987, the carrier took delivery of a second MD-82 and a third aircraft of the type was ordered.5

At March 1990, the number of employees was approximately 1,000 and the president was Sergio Peralda. At this time, the airline was owned by a number of financial groups in which Prince Karim Aga Khan had a major interest. The fleet consisted of six McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51s and five MD-82s. Scheduled services were flown to Bologna, Cagliari, Genoa, Milan, Naples, Olbia, Pisa, Rome and Verona, and Frankfurt, Geneva, Munich, Nice, Paris, Turin and Zurich were served on a seasonal basis.3

In 1991, Alisarda took over the Spanish airline Universair and merged it to form Meridiana S.A.6 As of 2019, Alisarda is a holding company with a 51% stake in the Meridiana successor airline Air Italy.1

Fleet

in its 27 years of activity, Alisarda operated the following aircraft:

Aircraft Total In operation Retired Remarks
Beechcraft C-45G 2 1964 1965 7
Beechcraft Queen Air 80 2 1965 1967 78
Nord 262 2 1966 1971 9
Fokker F27 3 1969 1978 10
Douglas DC 9 serie 14 2 1974 1980 11
Douglas DC 9 serie 32 2 1981 1984 12
Douglas DC 9 serie 51 7 1984 1991 1 leased from Finnair13
McDonnell-Douglas MD.8014 5 1987 1991 4 serie 82 including a leased 1, 1 serie 83
BAe.146-200 3 1991 1991 delivered shortly before name change to Meridiana15
SE-210 Caravelle 1 1977 1977 leased from Sterling Airways16
  • Beech C-45F Expeditor preserved at Olbia Costa Smeralda airport
    Beech C-45F Expeditor preserved at Olbia Costa Smeralda airport
  • Fokker F27
    Fokker F27
  • DC-9-14
    DC-9-14
  • DC-9-51
    DC-9-51
  • MD.82
    MD.82
References

References

  1. "Alisarda Group". www.airitaly.com. Archived from the original on 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
  2. "Alisarda takes on Meridiana name". Flight International. 139 (4271): 24. 12–18 June 1991. ISSN 0015-3710. Archived from the original on 1 December 2018.
  3. "World airline directory—Alisarda". Flight International. 137 (4207): 66. 14–20 March 1990. ISSN 0015-3710. Archived from the original on 21 October 2017.
  4. Endres, Gunter G (1982). World Airline Fleets 1983. Feltham: The Aviation Data Centre. p. 207. ISBN 0946141029.
  5. "Market place". Flight International. 131 (4066): 39. 13 June 1987. ISSN 0015-3710. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017.
  6. Hengi,
  7. "Nascita dell'Alisarda". Aviazionecivile. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  8. Pedde, N. (2007). Almanacco delle Linee Aeree Italiane 1947-2007 (in Italian). Roma: GAN. ISBN 978-88-89640-06-7.
  9. Pedde, N. (2007). Almanacco delle Linee Aeree Italiane 1947-2007 (in Italian). Roma: GAN. ISBN 978-88-89640-06-7.
  10. Pedde, N. (2007). Almanacco delle Linee Aeree Italiane 1947-2007 (in Italian). Roma: GAN. ISBN 978-88-89640-06-7.
  11. Pedde, N. (2007). Almanacco delle Linee Aeree Italiane 1947-2007 (in Italian). Roma: GAN. ISBN 978-88-89640-06-7.
  12. Pedde, N. (2007). Almanacco delle Linee Aeree Italiane 1947-2007 (in Italian). Roma: GAN. ISBN 978-88-89640-06-7.
  13. Pedde, N. (2007). Almanacco delle Linee Aeree Italiane 1947-2007 (in Italian). Roma: GAN. ISBN 978-88-89640-06-7.
  14. Pedde, N. (2007). Almanacco delle Linee Aeree Italiane 1947-2007 (in Italian). Roma: GAN. ISBN 978-88-89640-06-7.
  15. Pedde, N. (2007). Almanacco delle Linee Aeree Italiane 1947-2007 (in Italian). Roma: GAN. ISBN 978-88-89640-06-7.
  16. Pedde, N. (2007). Almanacco delle Linee Aeree Italiane 1947-2007 (in Italian). Roma: GAN. ISBN 978-88-89640-06-7.
  • Hengi, B.I. (2000). Airlines Remembered: Over 200 Airlines of the Past, Described and Illustrated in Colour. Midland. ISBN 9781857800913.