Aviation

Antonio Temporini is Alitalia’s new regional manager for southeast Europe, including Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Israel, Romania, Bulgaria and the Balkans.

In response to last month’s foiled terrorist plot to bomb transatlantic flights departing from London, an emergency meeting was held between UK Home Secretary John Reid and EU ministers from Finland (now holding EU presidency), France, Germany, Portugal and Slovenia, which hold the presidency in 2007 and 2008.

Aegean Airlines, a fast-growing Greek airline, ordered three more A320 aircraft. According to an agreement signed in December 2005, the airline has committed to 14 A320s, including three A320s leased from ILFC and holds a further nine options. Deliveries are scheduled between January 2007 and April 2009.

Amadeus, a global leader in technology and distribution solutions for the travel and tourism industry, signed agreements with China Eastern Airlines and China Airlines to power their international websites with the company’s e-commerce solutions. Implementation of the programs for both airlines were completed last month.

The European Commission has prepared several proposals to reform the Single Market legislation for aviation introduced some ten years ago which gave airlines unrestricted market access and permitted them to set fares independently.

Swissport signed a contract to provide ground service for passengers and airplanes with Sky Express, the new Greek airline based in Heraklion, Crete. Sky Express, established in 2005, offers passengers domestic flight service to the Greek islands and has plans to begin international cargo service in the near future.

Last month Qatar Airways, one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, completed its first year of successful operations in Athens. The company’s acceptance in the Greek market, by both individuals and travel agents, exceeded all expectations and is driving the company to boost investments in Greece. Qatar’s summer flights now run on a daily basis and serve more than 70 destinations worldwide.

Air Transat is now offering direct flights from Athens to Montreal and Toronto once or twice a week (Monday and Friday) from May to November 6, 2006.

AirSea Lines representatives last month announced plans to invest over 100 million euros for the acquisition of 30 seaplanes to service its existing and newly planned bases in Greece.

Last month, Delta began its daily direct flights to Atlanta International Airport in the south-eastern U.S., the airline’s most important hub and the largest airport hub in the world. This flight gives passengers countless convenient connections to destinations to more than 200 cities across the U.S., as well as Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America.