Volotea Offers Over 1,000 Flights from Athens in 2017
Volotea, a Spanish short and medium haul airline, this year will be offering 120,000 seats and more than 1,000 flights from Athens, an increase that reaches 32 percent compared to 2016.
Speaking during a media briefing on Thursday in Athens, Volotea’s Chief Executive Officer, Carlos Muñoz, presented the airline’s growth plans in Greece, its fourth largest market. From Athens, Volotea already operates six routes: Bari, Mykonos, Santorini, Mytilene, Palermo, Venice. As of May 26, the airline will launch its seventh route from Athens to Genoa, the airline’s ninth base at European level.
According to Muñoz, Volotea has transported more than 100,000 passengers to Athens since it first launched flights to the city in 2012.
“Greece is a strategic market for Volotea, our fourth largest, and we plan to continue growing strongly over the next years,” he said. “The Boeing 717 is an ideal aircraft for the Greek market and well known by our Greek pilots and crews operating our flights.”
During the briefing, Munoz said that the company is considering to set up a base at Athens International Airport (AIA), a development that is expected within the next six to 18 months.
On behalf of AIA, Ioanna Papadopoulou, Director, Communications & Marketing, applauded Volotea’s decision to expand its investment in the Athens market.
“The Athens market has demonstrated rapid growth during the past three years and Volotea has substantially contributed to this result,” Papadopoulou said.
This year Volotea has added more than 40 new routes to serve a lineup of 243 routes, operating flights to 79 mid- and small-sized European cities in 16 countries. With the addition of six Airbus A319s, Volotea’s fleet will increase to 28 aircraft this year.