The new routes program of Aegean was presented by the company's management at a press conference held in Heraklion, Crete, in the presence of the Minister of Tourism, Mrs Olga Kefalogianni.
Direct international flights are conducted now by 8 bases (Athens, Thessaloniki, Heraklion, Rhodes, Corfu, Kos, Kalamata, Larnaca), since Kos and Kalamata bases were unveiled in 2013, while Heraklion and Rhodes are enhanced with increased number of aircraft.
Moreover, there will be activity with direct international flights from Chania, Alexandroupolis, Zakynthos and Skiathos. The fact that the 130 scheduled and charter international routes, out of the total 158, are operated by regional airports, is characteristic of the effort that is being made by Aegean to strengthen the touristic areas of the country. At the same time as already announced, Aegean reinforces its international network from Athens, by utilizing the capacity which has been reduced domestically due to weak demand.
More specifically, Aegean’s flight network for 2013 includes 5 new countries (Ukraine, Switzerland, Poland, Sweden, Azerbaijan) and 10 new international destinations (Geneva, Manchester, Lyon, Stockholm, Kiev, Baku, Berlin, Nuremberg, Hanover, Warsaw) and it continues increasing significantly.
From Heraklion, where the press conference was held, in 2013, the company will conduct a total of 33 direct international routes to 12 countries. The base of Heraklion will now have 5 aircraft Airbus A320, and new flights will be conducted to St. Petersburg, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Tel Aviv and Kiev. Also, the frequencies and the capacity for existing destinations of Russia and Germany will be significantly increased.
During the press conference, Vice-President of Aegean, Mr. Eftichios Vassilakis, noted:
"Despite the crisis, the reduced domestic demand and the loss-making results of last years, we continue to invest by taking up initiatives to strengthen Greek tourism. We look forward to the synergies arising from the acquisition of Olympic Air, after receiving the approval of the competition commission, because only with extraversion and economies of scale we can continue our efforts and ensure competitiveness and sustainable development. In this context, we support the traditional destinations of our tourism such as Crete, Rhodes, Kos, Corfu with increased direct flights as well as we contribute to the development and consolidation of new destinations such as Kalamata. The presentation of our program here at Heraklion, is symbolic since Crete is the largest pillar of Greek Tourism, and, therefore, we support it with a base of 5 aircraft and 33 direct international routes. It's time for a synthesis of the forces of state, institutions and enterprises in order to form a common strategy that will bring back growth. "
