A new airline opens its wings in the Aegean – Cycladic starts inter-island routes in October

A new airline opens its wings in the Aegean – Cycladic starts inter-island routes in October

Greece acquires its own purely intra-island airline. The name of this one is Cycladic and to some extent, it also reveals the market it wants to cover. To a certain extent because it will fly to the Dodecanese as well as to and from Athens. It starts with brand new small but ultra-luxurious aircraft for their size that are more like private jets and less like conventional airlines. However, it promises an average ticket cost for a single route under 200 euros.

It is thus automatically placed in the market of so-called affordable luxury, but at the same time it promises to provide solutions to the real communication problems between the Aegean islands that host a multitude of public bodies and services of critical importance for the economy, justice, and more, of the island country.

The project testifies among all these, however, that Greek tourism is evolving and together with the needs of Greek and foreign travelers for travel between the top destinations of the country. It is obviously these needs that form the basis for the development of the new small but ambitious airline.

But let’s take things from the beginning. Cycladic is an investment that implements a scheme of interests of the shipowner Nikolas Lykiardopoulos, known among other things for his investments in fish farms. In this first stage of the business plan, the airline will use three new single-engine high wing turboprop Cessna Grand Caravan EX, as the model of these aircraft is called, which, according to market information, cost more than 3 million euros each.

Two of these aircraft will operate specific scheduled routes. Those interested can buy tickets for these flights either online or through agencies. They will have their own codes, like all flights, and check-in will be done normally at the airport ground handling offices, like all other commercial flights. The third Cessna Grand Caravan EX will remain available for lease to operate private flights.

The capacity of each Cessna Grand Caravan varies, depending on the needs, from 8 to 12 passengers, and of course it will have two pilots. It is worth noting that two of the eight pilots hired by Cycladic are women. Each passenger will normally be able to carry up to 23 kg of luggage. Indicatively, it is stated that the flight time between Santorini and Milos is 20 minutes, while company sources promise that Cycladic’s intention is to keep the average ticket cost under 200 euros, however they add that it can change depending on demand.

Cycladic will initially fly only between specific islands of the Cyclades, Rhodes and Crete. The two aircraft that will carry out these routes will be based in Paros. The private flights for which the third aircraft has been booked will be able, among other things, to depart and arrive in Athens.

The company has a flexible plan that, in addition to the prospect of increasing its fleet of aircraft, foresees the possibility of adding other destinations based on the evolution of demand. The first flights will start in October and will initially connect Chania, Santorini, Heraklion, Mykonos, Paros, Rhodes and Syros, but during the winter months some more destinations will be added, while in summer Milos will be included . The company has secured the necessary slots at the airports and has completed all the necessary preparation, such as, for example, the aircraft maintenance base and the staffing of all its operational units.

Circles of the company’s management state to “K” that “the vision is to increase the connection of the Greek islands to each other in a quick and easy way, while the aim is not only to create an exclusively touristic product but also a service that will facilitate movements of the permanent residents of the islands throughout the year. We cannot talk about sustainable tourism if the actions of the people in the sector do not substantially improve the daily life of the residents in each destination”.

Cycladic’s future plans include not only the purchase of other aircraft, as mentioned above, but also the investment in electric planes. The airline will operate on a 12-month basis, while it is duly clarified that “it does not operate routes to subsidized destinations” and “it is a purely private initiative and investment”.

Source: kathimerini.gr