New carrier to again directly link Greece with US, Canada

A new carrier is expected to connect Greece with North America, with SkyGreece Airlines filling a void in direct connections between the east Mediterranean country with cities hosting large ethnic Greek communities.

The new carrier was founded by Greek expatriate businesspeople and is headed by Father Nikolaos Alexandris.

Its maiden flight comes on May 24 with an Athens-Toronto-Montreal flight, while a second route debuts on June 18 from Thessaloniki to Toronto via Budapest.

An Athens to New York route will follow, as well as an Athens to Toronto route via Zagreb.

Most routes will be serviced by three flights a week, dropping to two flights a week in the off season, and one flight a week to and from Toronto.

The company owns and operates a Boeing 767-300 ER and a leased Airbus A-340. SkyGreece also announced a cooperation deal with the Bulgaria-based carrier BH Air.

Long-term goals include routes from Greece to Chicago, Boston and South Africa.

A press conference this week was attended by tourism alternate minister Elena Koundoura.