Fraport Greece

The 14 regional airports run by Fraport saw record arrivals figures in 2022, with domestic arrivals up 3.4% and international arrivals up 7.2% compared to the pre-pandemic period (2019).

The figures emerged after a meeting Tuesday between Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias and Fraport Greece CEO Alexander Zinell.

Lufthansa is more than doubling its itinerary in Greece with the addition of seven brand new destinations for this summer. From May 21, 2021, Aktio, Chania, Corfu, Kavala, Kos, Mykonos, and Zakynthos will welcome the German air carrier for the first time. This is Lufthansa's largest increase in its 62 years of presence in Greece.

A flight from Athens to Thessaloniki was delayed by two hours on Thursday due to low visibility at the northern port city's international airport, state-run news agency ANA-MPA reported.

Greece's National Meteorological Service (EMY) said fog at the airport limits visibility to 100 meters creating problems for landing aircraft. It expects visibility to gradually improve after 10 a.m.

Fraport Greece is considering implementing additional non-obligatory investments at Thessaloniki's Makedonia Airport, including the construction and operation of a hotel. The German-Greek consortium has completed most of the initial 450-million-euro investment program in the 14 regional airports it operates.

The Greek tourism sector needs to create fresh tourism products to attract new investment and make it fetch returns, Ilias Kikilias, general director of the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (INSETE), said on Tuesday.

Low-lying clouds led to flight cancellations and delays to Thessaloniki's Makedonia airport on Thursday, according to airport manager Fraport Greece.

The 14 regional airports across Greece that the German-led Fraport Greece group operates are showing significant prospects for their commercial development, such as the opening of more stores and food service points, given that the rise in passenger numbers and improvement of services at the terminals is convincing more companies to invest in them.

Red tape and the absence of an investment-friendly environment continue to dog Greece, Fraport Greece chief executive Alexander Zinell testified on Tuesday at the InvestGR forum in Athens.

The extension of the tourist season through the attraction of tourists and new markets, such as Asian, is the biggest target for the development of Thessaloniki airport, which has the features of a metropolitan airport.

Fraport, which in April signed a 1.23 billion euro deal to operate 14 regional airports in Greece, could seek compensation from the Greek state for damage to buildings and infrastructure that allegedly occurred during the takeover.

Kathimerini understands that the company has submitted an itemized list of the damages to the Civil Aviation Authority.