Greek Gov’t to Cut Some ‘Remote’ Island Air Routes

Corfu Airport.

The government is considering to abolish some state-subsidized airline routes to remote Greek islands, Infrastructure and Transports Minister Christos Spirtzis said this week.

Speaking to a parliamentary session, Mr Spirtzis said the government would reevaluate a number of subsidized “unprofitable routes”, some which were established to operate as government “favors” to certain carriers.

Among the examples he cited were the Athens–Zakynthos, Thessaloniki–Corfu and Thessaloniki–Kalamata itineraries, assuring however that “real isolated island routes” would continue to operate.

“Kalymnos and Kastelorizo as well as other real remote areas in Greece should not worry,” the minister said.

Mr Spirtzis said the current system is costing some 45 million euros and will soon undergo restructuring based on criteria such as seasonality, passenger traffic, mileage, island population and economic characteristics of each area. The minister added that this is a step in the right direction following the privatization of 14 regional airports earlier this year.