GREEK GENERAL- and corporate-aviation operators have formed an association to lobby for improvements in the conditions under which they operate.
The Hellenic Air Operations association now has 11 members, including air taxi, regional-charter, helicopter and business-jet operators. Three of the founding 14 have gone out of business since the association was formed, however.
Private operators are still complaining about the monopoly on scheduled services held by Olympic Airways and its regional subsidiary, Olympic Aviation. European Commission pressure has failed to open up Greece's air-transport system to liberalisation.
Antonis Simigdalas, managing director of air-taxi operator Aegean Aviation, says: "The idea is that together we will push for better conditions in airport infrastructure, ground handling, air traffic control and so on."
Aegean is one of two corporate-jet operators in Greece (the other is Interjet). It was the first private operator to obtain an aircraft-operator's certificate, in 1992.
Source: Flight International