Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” welcomes “Helios Airways” to Athens airport community. The Cypriot-based carrier launched, as of Saturday, May 1st, 2004, its scheduled double daily flights connecting Athens to Larnaca.

The new route’s inauguration ceremony took place on Thursday, May 6th, at the Main Terminal Building of Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos”. The Minister of Tourism, Mr. Dimitris Avramopoulos, honoured the event with his presence. Saluting the commencement of Helios Airways’s scheduled services to Athens, the airline’s Chairman, Mr. George Mouskas, and AIA’s CEO, Mr. Alfred van der Meer, referred to the start of a new cooperation, underlining the future prospect of increasing frequencies and destinations to Athens.

“Helios Airways” - founded in 1999 - is currently operating scheduled flights to 6 European destinations, on new Boeing 737 –300/800 aircraft.

“Helios Airways”, “Scandinavian Airlines” (28/03/2004) and “Air Polonia” (29/04/2004), are the three new airlines that launched scheduled services to/from “Eleftherios Venizelos” during the spring period.

“Helios Airways” daily flights to/from Athens are operated in cooperation with “Aegean Airlines”, bringing the total number of scheduled flights between Athens and Larnaca to 14 daily services. It is noted that, for the spring period 2004 (28.03.04 – 19.06.04), Larnaca - with 78 scheduled weekly frequencies (48 last year) - is Eleftherios Venizelos’s top international route.

Photo : From the ribbon-bonding ceremony. From right to left: The Minister of Tourism, Mr. Dimitris Avramopoulos, the Chairman of Helios Airways, Mr. George Mouskas, and AIA`s CEO, Mr. Alfred van der Meer