Aviation

Singapore Airlines will cease routes to Athens as of 26 October 2012 due to “sustained weak performance,” the Greek travel industry was informed last month. This was just the most recent hit as many carriers have already announced plans to stop direct flights to the Greek capital.

“Where we have evidence inside or outside the European Union that air carriers are not performing safe operations, we must act to guarantee to exclude any risks to safety,” the vice president of the European Commission responsible for transport, Siim Kallas, said during the release of the latest changes to a list of unsafe carriers.

The privatization process of regional airports was presented last month during the seventh “Aviation: Present and Future” conference held at the Infrastructure, Transport and Networks Ministry in Athens.

Cyprus Airways held an event last month at Athens International Airport on the occasion of the launch of the airline’s three daily Athens-Thessaloniki flights on 26 March.

The four airlines to fly the 24 state-subsidized domestic air routes to remote Greek islands (agones grammes) for the four-year period 2013-2016 were announced last month by the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority.

Qatar Airways announced further expansion of its rapidly growing international network with five new passenger routes, more cargo services and capacity increases to a number of destinations served direct from the airline’s Doha hub. The expansion program was unveiled on the opening day of ITB Berlin last month.

Athens International Airport (AIA) recently awarded airlines that recorded the highest passenger development in 2011, during the 12th Airline Marketing Workshop organized by the airport at the Athens Concert Hall.

A joint ministerial decision with the Infrastructure, Transport and Networks Ministry to establish waterways in Greece (and this way attract seaplane companies to strengthen the transport of Greece’s border areas) is under preparation, according to an announcement made by the Development, Competitiveness and Shipping Ministry.

Athens International Airport (AIA) announced in late January a new special incentive for the 2012 winter period that corresponds to a discount on passenger charges ranging between 25 and 50 percent and applies to low fare tickets to all routes out of Athens.

In late December 2011 Turkish Airlines hosted an “Agencies Night” dinner in honor of its partner Greek travel agencies.