27 Airlines Interested In Thessaloniki Airport’s Potential
Region Of Central Macedonia In Sofia And Belgrade
17/03/2014
Successful Participation For The Region Of Central Macedonia To The International Tourism Fair Grekland Panorama In Stockholm
18/02/201622/04/2014
The Region of Central Macedonia, the first Greek Region, to participate at Europe’s largest Route Development Conference, Routes 2014.
During the conference, the largest in Europe, the delegation from the Region of Central Macedonia - which included also a representative from Marketing Greece - had the opportunity to meet with 27 airlines. During their discussions, the delegation promoted the Region’s tourism potential, and sought a closer cooperation with the airlines, aiming at: 1. Attracting new airlines 2. Increasing frequencies of existing routes 3. Connecting to new destinations 4. Prolonging the duration of routes during the summer season 5. Continuing routes during the winter season
The airlines welcomed the Region’s initiative, accepting meetings with the delegation. During the meetings, the delegation promoted the diversification and dynamics of Central Macedonia’s tourism product, as well as the attractiveness of the city of Thessaloniki. Moreover, the co-promotion of the region’s destinations and the design and implementation of marketing support programmes for airlines was also discussed.
Airline route developers are closely monitoring the consistently growing international traffic at Thessaloniki airport during the past 3 years, together with the increasing tourism inflows to Greece in order to investigate the potential of adding new flights to Thessaloniki, as well as developing seasonal routes to year-around routes. The results from the discussions were constructive, accompanied by significant announcements with regards to the 2014 summer season: including the resumption of the Zurich route by Swiss and the Amsterdam route by Transavia, new routes to Rome by easyJet, to Milan-Linate by Alitalia, to Dusseldorf and Hamburg by Germanwings, to Berlin, Brussels, Kefallinia and Rostov by Aegean, to Athens, Pisa and Warsaw by Ryanair, and the new destinations to Ukraine and Russia by Ellinair. Furthermore, existing carriers have added frequencies to destinations they are currently serving.
Referring to the successful presence of the Region of Central Macedonia at the European Route Development Conference, the Head of the Region Mr Apostolos Tzitzikostas stated: “We are proud that the Region of Central Macedonia is the first Greek Region to participate in such an important conference. Air transport is undoubtedly one of the basic components of the tourism product and an integral part of our strategy. The development of Thessaloniki Airport depends on the attractiveness of the destination, it is therefore our responsibility to communicate to the airlines the tourism potential of our region”.
Mr Tzitzikostas added: “Based on our estimations, Thessaloniki International Airport will have a record year in passenger throughput. The tourism promotional efforts of Region of Central Macedonia have also contributed to this positive outcome. We commit in building an effective and close partnership with all the airlines, supporting their developmental plans out of Thessaloniki Airport”.
Summer Season Statistics (30.03.14-25.10.14) During the summer season, 24 airlines will be operating 496 weekly scheduled flights to 56 international destinations (63 airports), in 23 countries. A significant increase of 25% is also apparent at the international charter services, while the domestic scheduled flights will remain at the same levels as 2013, serving 15 destinations.
For summer 2014, the top international destinations with regards to weekly scheduled flights are London, Moscow and Dusseldorf, followed by Munich, Stuttgart, Istanbul, Belgrade, Paphos and Larnaca. The most popular domestic destinations are Athens and Iraklion, followed Hania, Rhodes, Limnos and Mytiline.