Kravet om en mindste driftsperiode er i det foreliggende tilfælde i overensstemmelse med artikel 4, stk. 1, litra c), hvor det hedder: »I tilfælde, hvor der ikke med andre transportformer kan sikres passende, regelmæssig forbindelse, kan de berørte medlemsstater lade forpligtelsen til offentlig tjeneste omfatte et krav om, at et luftfartsselskab, der agter at beflyve ruten, stiller garanti for, at det vil gøre dette i en bestemt, nærmere fastsat periode i overensstemmelse med de øvrige vilkår for forpligtelsen til offentlig tjeneste.« Da Sardinien er en ø beliggende i stor afstand fra fastlandet, mener Kommissionen ikke, at der kan sikres en passende alternativ forbindelse med andre transportformer.
The requirement of a minimum period of operation is in accordance, in the case in point, with Article 4(1)(c) which states that ‘in instances where other forms of transport cannot ensure an adequate and uninterrupted service, the Member States concerned may include in the public service obligation the requirement that any air carrier intending to operate the route gives a guarantee that it will operate the route for a certain period, to be specified, in accordance with the other terms of the public service obligation’. The Commission considers that since Sardinia is an island and, in view of its distance from the mainland, other means of transport do not ensure an adequate alternative service.