ROME -- In June the Italian airline Meridiana will launch a new route between Marseilles and Sardinia, becoming the first carrier ever to operate this path.

 The route was chosen primarily as a leisure one, specifically for customers travelling for leisure to the North-West of Sardinia Island famous among tourists for its beaches, water sports, Mediterranean cuisine and archaeological riches.

 The direct flight between Olbia Costa Smeralda and the southern French city will operate once a week on Saturday from June 4 2016, and on Tuesday and Saturday from July 26 to Sep. 24. The flights will take off from Marseilles at 17:30 and from Olbia Costa Smeralda at 15.35, operating with a Boeing 737-700 including both economy and Electa business class.

 The airline reports the flight time to be approximately one hour, with a one-way ticket costing €51 per person, all-inclusive.

 Meridiana is an Italian airline controlled by AKFED (Agha Khan Fund for Economic Development), with its headquarters in Olbia. It was set up in 1963 with the aim of promoting tourism in Sardinia, and in the last five years has become one of the world's most important carriers in international leisure flights.

 The company connects the main Italian airports with those in Sardinia, Sicily and Naples as well as with the Mediterranean and Egypt. It also operates long-haul flights to destinations as far afield as Cuba, Brazil, Kenya and the USA.

 Marseille Province airport is the largest airport in the Western Mediterranean for express freight and the 4th largest in France in terms of passenger traffic, welcoming 8.26 million passengers in 2015. It serves nearly 100 destinations through 35 scheduled airlines.   ft