European Regions Airline Association

This is promising to be a year of record performance for Aegean Airlines, with the first half of 2023 expected to be profitable for the first time in the history of the carrier, Greece's biggest.

In the first quarter of 2023, Aegean improved its aircraft load factor to over 83%.

The battle is already on for fall travelers, with airlines launching offers to lure more passengers to their seats.

With fall 2023 just a couple of months away, discounts for bookings in the September-December period are multiplying.

Infrastructures, human resources and expanding the tourist season are the necessary preconditions for a sustainable development of tourism and of air transport in Greece, Dimitris Gerogiannis, CEO of Aegean Airlines, said on Monday.

He said infrastructures were extremely important for the sustainable development of tourism, of cities and of the country in general.

In a significant move aimed at enhancing connectivity and offering improved travel options, Aegean and Cyprus Airways are preparing to announce a strategic cooperation through a code-sharing agreement. The formal announcement is scheduled to take place at an upcoming press conference next week, where executives from both airlines will outline the details of the partnership.

Slovenia has been beset by poor air connectivity since the demise of Adria Airways in 2019 and has struggled to attract foreign carriers to Ljubljana with subsidies. After months of rumours, it appears a push will now be made to create a new air carrier based on studies showing that not having a national carrier has had a significant impact on the economy.

Aegean showed record results for the first quarter of the year, which is traditionally seasonally weak.

The airline increased its consolidated turnover by 90% year-on-year, to 229.1 million euros, which is also up by 33% from the first quarter of 2019.

The Holy Fire, flown to Greece each year from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, is set to arrive on a special Aegean Airlines flight on Saturday evening, in time for Easter midnight mass.

Accompanying the Holy Fire on the Aegean aircraft will be a small diplomatic mission and the plane is expected to land at Athens international airport at approximately 6 p.m.

Last year Aegean Airlines outperformed its record of 2019, when there had been no Covid-19 restrictions.

Compared to the last year before the pandemic, the airline group added 2% in turnover and 36% in profits after taxes, which amounted to 1.34 billion euros and €107 million respectively.

Greek flag carrier Aegean Airlines is seeking its further expansion abroad through a number of targeted moves.

Greece's leading airline is seeking to land state-subsidized services out of Skopje and Ochrid airports in North Macedonia to European destinations.

Alamy Photo

British airline Flybe said on Jan. 28 it had ceased trading and all flights had been canceled.

"We are sad to announce that Flybe has been placed into administration," the airline tweeted.

"Flybe has now ceased trading. All Flybe flights from & to the U.K. are canceled & will not be rescheduled," it said.