Aegean Airlines

The Greek stock market accelerated its growth on Monday, with its benchmark posting gains of almost 2% on the back of growth from most blue chips, including the banks, and despite the rather modest daily turnover. This has taken the main index safely above the 1,400-point mark, after a daily rise unseen in almost five months.

Aegean Airlines seeks to strengthen its footprint in new markets, which show double-digit growth rates, through the delivery, in 2026 and 2027, in the first phase, of four Airbus A321neo aircraft which are specially configured and upgraded.

The Greek stock market failed to follow the cool reaction of most other eurozone bourses to events in Israel over the weekend, and suffered losses on Monday that were somewhat moderated toward the end.

Stocks went up, then down, and eventually - in the closing auctions - back up, during Thursday's session of the Greek bourse. Traders appeared reluctant to bring the benchmark closer to the 1,400-point level, as they obviously need a pretext for a solid recovery, following the recent decline.

The decline continued at the Greek bourse on Wednesday, though not as strongly as on Tuesday, with the benchmark yielding more ground. The banks index remained on a southbound course for a sixth consecutive session, underperforming the market and showing that the absence of initiatives or positive news on the domestic front will allow the momentum of the year's first quarter to slip.

Aegean Airlines head Eftychis Vassilakis received this week the award for the Greek Entrepreneur of the Year by EY Greece.

This distinction means that Vassilakis will be Greece's representative at the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year in June in Monte Carlo, along with winners from another 47 countries and territories.

Aegean Airlines set new records in 2023, having fully recovered from the pandemic.

Last year, on an annual basis, the group increased its turnover by 27%, to 1.7 billion euros, and its operating profits by 46%, to €400.4 million, keeping the cost structure competitive despite inflationary pressures.

Investors reacted to Monday's major drop on the Greek stock market and on Tuesday they granted non-bank stocks some recovery, although bank stocks remained under pressure.

Aegean Airlines has secured another slot at London's Heathrow airport and is adding to its schedule a fourth daily flight from Athens to the UK's busiest international hub, it said on Tuesday.

The new flight will operate every day throughout the year except on Saturdays, leaving Athens at 4 p.m. local time and London/Heathrow at 7 p.m. local time.

February ended at the stock market with an impressive session, that extended the month's gains for the benchmark and doubled the daily turnover, due to yet another stock rebalancing. That was the fourth consecutive month of growth for the main index, which has augmented 4.19% since end-January.