Wealthy holidaymakers aiming for Sardinia diverted to Birmingham
It was supposed to be a luxury break on an Italian island away from the pressures of Covid-19.
A group of British, American and other holidaymakers chartered a private jet to fly them from Colorado to the Mediterranean island of Sardinia on July 1.
But Italian border police turned them away as a health risk and instead of the pristine sands of the island’s famed “emerald coast,” they were finally rerouted to Birmingham. Appalled, the wealthy passengers launched a legal complaint.
On Saturday, a Sardinian court ruled that Italy had bungled its bureaucracy and that the shunned tourists should have been allowed to stay.
In its ruling, the administrative regional tribunal (TAR) sided with the group of 11 visitors forced to leave the island after 14 hours of fruitless debate with border police, airport authorities and their Rome superiors.
“The Sardinia TAR ruled we were right, but the whole of Italy was made to look bad,” said Federica Fanari, a Sardinian businesswoman who was on the plane with the group.
“My American friends, like me, are very disappointed. I expect official apologies on part of the competent authorities, and I hope they come as soon as possible.”
The would-be holidaymakers, which included five American citizens as well as friends from New Zealand, the UK, Germany and Italy, arrived in Cagliari-Elmas airport on Wednesday morning.
Border police baulked at letting them enter Italy due to newly agreed European rules restricting entrance to Americans.
The visitors offered to take Covid-19 tests and self-isolate for 14 days. They asked permission for a hotel room while the matter was debated, as they had small children along, but authorities would not budge. After 14 hours in the airport waiting area, the group reboarded their jet and flew to Birmingham.
“There was nothing to be done, it was absurd,” Ms Fanari said.
It wasn’t just a dream holiday on the pristine Sardinian sands that was ruined.
Lawyers representing some passengers argued before the court that they were potential investors considering purchasing real estate on the island, which is struggling to regain economic footing after months of lockdown and cancellations.
Lawyers Corrado Maxia and Marco Contu told the ANSA news agency that the court reversed border authorities’ decision after determining the American visitors had been legitimately travelling for work reasons, making them exempt from the travel ban.
Sardinia’s regional governor Christian Salinas blasted officials in Rome, saying the episode “inflicted grave damage to the international touristic credibility of our island and our sense of hospitality.”
