Greek Island Residents Can Now Claim Air Transport Discounts

Rhodes International Airport – Diagoras/ Photo © Piotrus – Wikimedia Commons

Transportation discounts on ferry rates currently applicable for island residents will now be extended to air travel, Alternate Shipping Minister Nektarios Santorinios told a press conference on Monday.

Santorinios said islanders can now claim air travel discounts, under the so-called “transport equivalent” program – known as “metaforiko isodynamo” (MI) in Greek – by registering on the www.metaforikoisodynamo.gr platform.

The same procedure applies as with ferry transport: Eligible island residents must register by submitting TAXIS codes, personal data and IBAN number in order for the discounts to be deposited. Upon completion, users will receive an islander code which they will present to the airline when booking or purchasing their tickets and will at the end of each month receive in their bank account the amount of the tax-deductible discount.

If air transport is selected, discounts will not be greater than those applied to ferry rates.

According to an announcement, AEGEAN, Olympic Air and Ellinair are among the airlines that have joined the MI program.

Santorinios said the discounts would be extended as of January 1, 2020 to the transport of fuel in efforts to reduce the prices of petrol to Attica levels on the islands. The measure is currently being applied in pilot phase at 34 remote islands with the participation of 88 filling stations.

He went on to add that the ministry was looking into ways to subsidize the transport of goods to Crete.

According to Santorinios, more than 200,000 islanders have claimed a total of 6 million euros in discounts for 350,000 and 1,300 routes since the launch of the program last year. More than 2,500 tickets a day are issued under the transport discount program and over 11,000 businesses have received subsidies for the transport of goods.