Greek carrier Aegean Airlines to add 11 new routes in 2018

Greece’s leading carrier Aegean Airlines will add 11 new routes in 2018 and choose between Airbus and Boeing planes by the end of this year to renew its fleet.

It currently operates 46 Airbus A320 jets in its flaat of 60 aircraft, is evaluating the new generation Airbus A320neo family and Boeing’s 737MAX to renew its fleet, as most of its leases need to be replaced between 2019 and 2023.

Riding on a strong tourism year, the carrier will expand its fleet with three new aircraft next year.

The company’s planning for 2018 features 18 new routes, 11 new destinations, and 700,000 additional available seats

During the presentation of its new extended program for 2018, AEGEAN confirmed its objectives, which include further boosting its position in the European market, and widening its support for Greek tourism and local communities.

The company’s new program includes153 destinations, in 44 countries in total, with 16.6 available seats—700,000 more than in 2017. The strengthening of the company’s network in 2018 offers increased accessibility, through new connections, in key markets that function as vital sources of tourism for Greece, such as France, Italy and Germany.

Specifically, AEGEAN’s flight network for 2018, includes 18 new routes, corresponding to 11 new destinations from its Athens base (Turin, Palermo, Bologna and Lamezia Terme in Italy, Malaga in Spain, Basel in Switzerland, Zagreb and Zadar in Croatia, Vilnius in Lithuania, Cluj-Napoca in Romania and Skopje in FYROM) and 7 new routes from Greece’s regional airports (Corfu – Moscow, Santorini – Tel Aviv, Mykonos – Tel Aviv, Mykonos – Beirut, Rhodes – Lyon, Rhodes – Beirut, Heraklion – Beirut). In 2018, continuing the strategy of strengthening the Athens hub, which brings benefits both for the city itself, as well as for other regions and islands of the country, AEGEAN will connect the Greek capital with 81 international destinations.

Simultaneously, AEGEAN has already moved forward with the upgrading of Passenger Lounges in Thessaloniki and Larnaca, and by the end of 2017, the company will have upgraded its Passenger Lounge in the Athens International Airport. The new, second, Athens Lounge, for flights outside Schengen, will be completed by early 2018.

In addition to its business development, AEGEAN also puts special emphasis on the systematic support of Greek tourism, both by participating in collective initiatives and through self-developed and self-implemented actions and activities. Specifically, through partnerships with the Municipality of Athens (Athens Tourism Partnership), Marketing Greece and GNTO (Greek National Tourism Organization), AEGEAN systematically participates in the creation of promotional activities to promote our country, and also, at the same time provides free transportation for the organization of more than 300 Press and Fam Trips per year.

Furthermore, by designing its own initiatives, such as the “Greece by Greeks” campaign, starring Giannis Antetokounmpo, AEGEAN continues to be a key supporter and ambassador of the most hospitable image of our country abroad. This particular campaign gathered more than 10,000 “secrets” from all over Greece, with the help of the public. From November onwards, these “secrets” will travel all across the world.

At the same time, AEGEAN continues to focus on supporting and developing its country's regions, through the implementation of the “Closer to Greece” project, which concerns the support of local communities and products. In this context, the company, in cooperation with regional producers, provides an important platform for the promotion of their regional image and products (through monthly features on Greek destinations, a collaboration with 50 local producers, the promotion—in just 1 year—of more than 60 different types of products and local flavors on AEGEAN flights, the screening of more than 100 promotional videos for the Greek countryside in Greece and abroad).

At the Press Conference, AEGEAN’s Vice President, Mr. Eftichios Vassilakis, noted: “2018 will be yet another year of widening our international presence and the choices we offer to our passengers. We are expanding our network with 18 new international routes, 11 new destinations from Athens, while simultaneously adding 7 new routes from other Greek regions. It is the first time that so many cities from major tourism markets will have a direct connection to Athens, which supports both short city breaks and the accessibility to our islands. At the same time, we continue to consistently and systematically support the promotion of our country, our products and local producers, for the development of tourism and the support of local communities. We continue to invest in upgrading the travel experience of our passengers and in the significant benefits they may obtain through the commercial partnerships of our programs, which we continue to expand and enrich.”

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RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

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Source: aviation24.be