Hoteliers Call on Ryanair to Re-examine Chania Base Termination

Chania Airport. Photo © Jarvin / Wikimedia Commons

Chania hoteliers are calling on low-cost carrier Ryanair to re-examine its decision to slash its domestic flights in Greece, and shut down its base at Chania Airport on Crete.

Last week, the Dublin-based airline announced its decision to cancel four low-frequency flights from Chania to Katowice, Memmingen, Venice Treviso and Vilnius.

In response, the Chania Hotels Association is calling on Ryanair and Chania airport manager Fraport Greece to re-assess the decision in view of the upcoming tourism season and of the company’s contribution to tourism and the local economy.

In a letter, the Chania Hotels Association, one of the country’s largest representing hundreds of professionals, is calling on both parties to meet by the end of April, “in order to find a solution together with the professional bodies of the Chania prefecture”.

“We are shocked by the upcoming developments set to lead to a reduction in flights at Chania Airport…  all flights are very important because they boost accessibility to our destination with a significant direct and indirect economic impact on the local economy,” the association said in its letter.

Chania’s professionals go on to note that “the timing of the decision is ill-advised and unfortunate as it overrides all previous planning made by passengers, travelers and professionals”.

Indicatively, according to an annual survey carried out by the Technical University of Crete, Ryanair’s full-flight program contributed approximately 220-250 million euros to the economy in 2016.