His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, President of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS)
“His extraordinary contribution to the development of tourism in Sardinia has been recognized.”
~ ENAC Board on the approval for the renaming of the Olbia Airport
March 25, 2025
Translated from Italian
In recognition of his fundamental contribution to the development of tourism and the economy in Sardinia
The Board of Directors of ENAC (National Civil Aviation Authority) has resolved to rename Olbia-Costa Smeralda Airport in memory of Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, in recognition of his fundamental contribution to the development of tourism and the economy in Sardinia. This decision follows an official request made by the Municipality of Olbia and aims to honor the figure of the Prince, who passed away on February 4 in Lisbon at the age of 88. The first request was made a few days later, by the mayor of Olbia, Settimo Nizzi. His work has had a decisive impact on the economic and cultural transformation of the island, and this renaming represents a fitting tribute to his commitment.
In 1963, Prince Karim Aga Khan IV founded Alisarda, an airline that later evolved into Meridiana and eventually Air Italy. This development facilitated access to the island, significantly contributing to the economic and social growth of the region, with a direct impact on employment. Thanks to him, tourism in Sardinia experienced a boom that benefited the entire territory.
Furthermore, Aga Khan IV played a key role in the construction of Olbia-Costa Smeralda Airport, now recognized as one of the main international general aviation hubs, an airport of great relevance for global air traffic.
The decision to rename Olbia Airport in honor of Prince Aga Khan follows a similar procedure to the one used previously for renaming Milan Malpensa Airport to Silvio Berlusconi.
About Costa Smeralda
Prince Karim Aga Khan IV oversees the development of Porto Cervo on the Costa Smeralda, Sardinia, 1960. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
The 35 mile-long Emerald Coast – or Costa Smeralda in Italian – was an undeveloped stretch of rocky coves when it caught the eye of the Aga Khan, in the late 1950s while sailing his yacht. Since then, the Emerald Coast famous for its landscape heritage, unique white sand beaches, deep coves and pink granite rocks was developed into a premier tourist destination. The impact of its development has become a text book example for economic and social development for many countries and the Italian government lost no time in awarding His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan with two of its highest state honours.
Italian State Honours
Twice decorated with Italy’s highest state honours, His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV has been recognized by the Italian government for his immense contribution to the economic transformation of Sardinia through the development of Costa Smeralda.
The Italian government recognized his contributions by awarding His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV two state decorations:
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 1977, and
Knight of Labour, Cavaliere del Lavoro in 1988
These honours captures the continuing appreciation of the Government and peoples of Italy, especially the people from Sardinia for His Highness and the permanent bond they share with him, one of people, place and history.
Rome, Italy. October 16, 1988:: His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV is conferred Cavalierre del Lavoro, Italy’s highest state honour,by President Francesco Cossiga (l). Image credit: Ismaili USA, March 21, 1989 edition.
Editor’s note:
While every effort is made in trying to remain true to the original author of all articles we bring to our audiences at Ismailimail, much gets lost in translating the original piece from one language to another. The choice of words, the expression of feelings, the historical and cultural norms, semantics, the author, all these and many other factors get diluted and/or lost, even with the aid and convenience of the all powerful tool like Google translate.
It is our hope that you were inspired by the impact that His Highness continues to have in Sardinia, Italy and around the world.
Research, Translation, Insight & Perspective by A. Maherali
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