by AEGEAN organized a trip to AIRBUS headquarters in Toulouse for 120 travel agents from Greece and Cyprus.
AEGEAN always close to the travel market
Always close to representatives of the travel market in Greece and Cyprus, close partners of the company for 24 years, the AEGEAN Sales Department visited the AIRBUS headquarters in Toulouse last week.
The reason for visiting the facilities and the impressive AIRBUS aircraft production line in France was the implementation of the AEGEAN fleet renewal program with the 46 new A320neo and A321neo aircraft, whose deliveries continue continuously , as well as AEGEAN’s enhanced summer program in over 161 destinations.
In particular, 120 travel agency executives from Greece and Cyprus traveled on a special AEGEAN flight to Toulouse, were able to visit AIRBUS facilities and closely followed the construction work of a state-of-the-art aircraft technology on the production line of his factory.
At the same time, they had the opportunity to be briefed by AEGEAN executives on the destinations and routes included in the company’s specially enhanced summer program this year, the enhanced products and services offered while along the journey, the company’s development plan emphasizing the new technical base of Athens airport and thoughts on other future projects of the company.
What AEGEAN Commercial Director and Executives Said
Mr. Roland Jaggi, Chief Commercial Officer of AEGEAN, declared during the trip to Toulouse:
“We are particularly pleased with the significantly improved sales result presented in the 1st quarter of 2023 – traditionally the weakest quarter of the year, the dynamics of demand, but also the competitiveness of AEGEAN, in the post- COVID.
The contribution of the Greek and Cypriot tourist boards to this result is of particular importance, as both business and leisure travel showed a strong recovery, noting a continued increase in sales compared to 2022, but also compared to to 2019.
At the end of the 1st quarter, sales on the Greek market recorded an increase of more than 110% compared to the 1st quarter of 2022 and on the Cypriot market they increased by nearly 85% compared to the corresponding period of Last year.
“We continue to see strong demand and an increase in bookings for the summer season as well, which as always should shape the course of the full year.”
Mr. Stefanos Sadopoulos, Sales Director for Greece, Cyprus and the Balkans of AEGEAN, said:
“Our cooperation with the travel market and the support of people in our company for 24 years, but also during the resumption of travel after COVID, has greatly contributed to the smooth running of AEGEAN.
The travel market is a barometer of the journey of tourism, but also of our business, and our support and cooperation are mutual and have resulted in our common development over the years.
“The investment in the network this year exceeds the 18 million seats offered and our common objective, together with the representatives of the travel agencies in Greece and Cyprus, is to transport as many passengers as possible during the summer season, to maintain more routes and for the winter season, and why not create the conditions for even more new connections from all over Greece. And all this with the vehicle of our new AIRBUS 320neo and 321neo aircraft, which allow us to ensure the upgrade of the travel experience as a whole, for our passengers, but also for the customers of travel agencies, in providing them with the capabilities, solutions and options you are looking for”.
The new AEGEAN fleet
It is recalled that in total, since 2019, the company has received 19 new aircraft from the A320neo and A321neo family and during the year, it should receive 9 more.
At the same time, in the middle of the previous year, it carried out the universal replacement of its propeller fleet (turboprops) with ATR 42s and 72-600s, which was completed during 2022.
It should be noted that the new A320neo and A321neo aircraft, equipped with the new generation of Pratt & Whitney GTFTM engines, ensure a CO2 footprint lower by 19 to 23% compared to the previous generation AIRBUS and up to 50% lower than that from the first. then new aircraft from the company in 1999, thus contributing significantly to the reduction of CO2 and NOx emissions, per flight and per passenger, and in particular to reducing the noise footprint. A fact that has already led to the reduction of AEGEAN’s CO2 emissions by 9% per seat kilometer in 2022 compared to 2019, a reduction all the more important as the company’s activity continues to grow.
At the same time, with the reduction of fuel consumption, they strengthen the competitiveness of the company, since they increase the range of flights by providing access to new destinations.
Finally, since the aircraft in question and most of the AEGEAN fleet are equipped with Wi-Fi, they provide a platform for the development of innovative digital services and content that enhance the travel experience.
The AEGEAN Summer Program
Travel market executives also had the opportunity to be informed in detail about AEGEAN’s summer schedule, which this year is the largest in its history.
AEGEAN, in 2023, will operate with 76 aircraft and offer a total of 18 million seats. 11 million of them are foreign positions, 2 million more compared to 2022 and 800,000 more than in 2019.
In particular, AEGEAN will operate in 46 countries, with 264 routes to 161 destinations from 8 bases.
A total of 16 new international destinations, 25 new direct international routes, as well as 4 new countries (Morocco, Kuwait, Latvia and Azerbaijan) have been added to its network, while frequencies on existing routes have been significantly increased.
For example, regular lines have been added to and from: Birmingham, Newcastle and Bristol (UK), Bratislava (Slovakia), Dammam (Saudi Arabia), Baku (Azerbaijan), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Palma de Mallorca (Spain) ), Riga (Latvia), Split (Croatia), Seville (Spain), Marrakech (Morocco), Pisa and Olbia (Italy), Kuwait (Kuwait) and Lille (France).
While additional destinations are also served by charter flights, such as: Bremen (Germany), Malmö and Gothenburg (Sweden), Burgas (Bulgaria) and Timisoara (Romania), etc.
Some of the new international routes added to and from Athens, Thessaloniki, Heraklion, Kalamata, Chania and Ioannina are:
- Athens: Marrakech (Morocco), Birmingham (UK), Dammam (Saudi Arabia), Lille (France), Palma de Mallorca (Spain), Kuwait (Kuwait), etc.
- Thessaloniki: Yerevan (Armenia), Cologne (Germany), Barcelona (Spain), Tbilisi (Georgia) and Venice (Italy).
- Heraklion: Lille (France)
- Ioannina: Tel Aviv (Israel)
- Chania: Tel-Aviv (Israel)
- Kalamata: Tel Aviv (Israel)
The first indications for the summer 2023 season
At the same time, AEGEAN’s commercial team and travel market executives had the opportunity to exchange, on the first indications during the summer season which started earlier this year, the prospects of its extension, the attractiveness of certain destinations and the dynamics of specific markets.
The first indications of the summer season are particularly encouraging with the traditional markets of Germany, France and Switzerland already showing particular momentum very early on, particularly up for the season, but also compared to 2019. incoming passengers from the markets of Spain, Italy and England, whose strong preference for holidays in Greece seems to be returning.
The good start to the summer season should be further strengthened, as in the next few days many new routes will start to and from the main European destinations to all AEGEAN bases, while the frequencies will gradually increase.
As an indication, in the following days, connections to Newcastle, Valencia and Eindhoven, from Thessaloniki to Barcelona, Nuremberg, Cologne, Hanover and Venice, as well as from Heraklion to Vienna and Marseille, and from Rhodes to Belgrade, will depart from Athens. .
It should be noted that passenger traffic showed strong momentum in the 1st quarter of 2023, despite the fact that it is a traditionally weak period for air transport, it continued on the momentum of the previous year, registering an increase of 72% compared to the corresponding period last year.
The load factor was set at 82% for the 1st quarter of 2023, an improvement of 15.5% compared to the 1st quarter of 2022, while flight occupancy in the first months of the following 2nd quarter also looks similar.
New products and services from AEGEAN
At the same time, travel market executives had the opportunity to learn about AEGEAN’s innovative new products and services, such as the AEGEAN Pass and the renewed menus in economy and premium class.
In particular, the AEGEAN Pass is a flight package, which allows each passenger to enjoy a fixed rate, for an entire year, configuring the one that suits their particular needs through a series of options.
The options are related to the itinerary or package of itineraries, the number of flights it will include (from 8 to 20), as well as the minimum number of days required to book before departure (30, 7 or 0 days).
While, regarding the renewed menus, in economy class, AEGEAN continues to offer all flights and economy class passengers new delicious menu options, highlighting the Mediterranean diet, through a variety of snacks and meals (hot or cold), depending on the duration of the flight.
Moreover, with the new “Gastronomics” experience, it offers premium class passengers unique flavors and takes them on a journey through Greek recipes.
At the same time, it should be noted that, as part of the continuous effort to reduce its ecological footprint, AEGEAN has adopted a more environmentally friendly attitude, minimizing the use of plastic in service materials on all his flights.
