Air Travel

KLM is to receive a 3.4-billion-euro support package, backed by the Dutch State, to “weather the current COVID-19 crisis and prepare for the future”.

Ailing carrier Lufthansa was saved after its top shareholder stepped in backing a 9-billion-euro rescue package put up by Germany’s Economic Stabilisation Fund.

Passengers arriving to Greece from specific countries are required to complete a COVID-19 Passenger Information Form.

European airline companies appear to have excluded a number of Greek islands from their updated flight schedules, which could impact local economies reliant on tourism.

IATA is proposing alternatives that can reduce the risk of importing Covid-19 infections via travel, without imposing quarantine measures on arriving travelers.

The Commission has signed an agreement with Japan that will facilitate the EU’s aviation industry’s access to the Japanese aeronautical market and ensure a higher level of aviation safety.

IATA has launched the Security Risk Intelligence Portal (SRIP) — an incident reporting tool to help airlines mitigate and manage security risks.

Cyprus Airways has announced flights from Larnaca, Cyprus, to five destinations in Greece, as well as to Switzerland and Israel for the summer of 2020.

Spanish airline Volotea has relaunched operations in Greece and is including domestic flights between the mainland and the islands.

The staff of Makedonia Airport are welcoming international passengers to Thessaloniki with the tourism logo of the Greek northern city on their face masks.

Alitalia will resume its service from Rome Fiumicino to Athens International Airport (AIA) as of July 1.

Air France will resume service from regional airports in France to Greece from July 6 to August 31 with flights from Marseille, Nice, Bordeaux and Toulouse.

Referring to 2020 as “the worst year in the history of aviation”, IATA expects the airline industry to lose $84.3 billion due to the Covid-19 crisis.

Scoot will temporarily suspend its Athens-Singapore route until end-March 2021, due to weak demand arising from Covid-19.

Air France’s summer 2020 schedule will include flights to Thessaloniki, Mykonos and Santorini from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.

The Lufthansa Group will expand its post-Covid-19 flight schedule in the months ahead to include dozens of flights to Greek destinations such as Athens, Thessaloniki and Rhodes.

Austrian Airlines has announced the launch of flights to a number of islands in Greece as of July.

Athens Airport and AEGEAN are among Europe’s first aviation companies to have signed up to EASA’s charter for the return to normal operations in the aftermath of Covid-19.

AEGEAN has announced further adjustments to its domestic and international network for June, July and August 2020.

All airlines certified in Armenia have been added to the EU Air Safety List, which includes airlines subject to an operating ban or operational restrictions within the EU.