Julian Moxon/PARIS
Aegean Airlines is looking to acquire six new turboprops, and is evaluating the ATR 72-500 and Bombardier Dash 8 Q400, says Aegean general manager Antonis Simigdalas. "We believe turboprops are the right thing for our thinner routes", he adds.
The airline, which has captured 36% of the Greek domestic market in the 18 months of its existence, will return the three ATR 72-200s it acquired on lease when it purchased Air Greece in April when their contracts expire in March 2003. In the interim, Aegean will lease two further ATR 72-500s for the 2001 summer season.
Simigdalas says Aegean "wants to be positioned strategically by 2001" by which time the new international airport at Athens/Spata will be open. He adds that future expansion depends on "what happens to Olympic, whether the airport is a success and on our alliance discussions".
An alliance partner has yet to be chosen: "We're looking at potential partners amongst the 25 airlines already serving Greece to provide interline connections to major European hubs," he says.
Aegean currently has average 74% load factors, says Simigdalas, which has helped to offset the 100% increase in fuel charges during the last 12 months. He adds that the airline is nevertheless increasing fares unilaterally by around 12%. "We're confident our passengers will stay with us - we're the leading airline in Greece in terms of quality and reliability".
Source: Flight International
