Aegean Airlines (Athens) will start a new route, three days a week, between Athens and Copenhagen starting on May 22, 2014. The new route will be operated with Airbus A32os. The Copenhagen route is part of an overall expansion plan in 2014 (see below).

Previously on October 31 Aegean outlined its future plans now that Olympic Air has been acquired:

Aegean Airlines presented the benefits, arising from the acquisition of Olympic Air, for the company, the passengers, the society and the Greek tourism, as well as its overall strategy, during a press conference held on October 31 in Athens.

In the immediate period of the next 6 to 14 months, following the acquisition of Olympic Air, the resulting synergies will lead to an enhanced fleet and an immediate expansion of the network, to the enhancement of the connectivity in Greece and abroad, as well as to cost savings from the consolidation of Administrative Services, with benefits saving up to €35 million annually.

Aegean’s objective and commitment is to pass these benefits to the passengers with more competitive rates, enhancement of privileges for loyal customers of both companies and network expansion.

In terms of benefits arising regarding the prices, Aegean has already announced the launch of two new categories of fares in economy class, the GoLight and Flex fares, with prices starting from €24 to Athens, which ensure money-saving and unlimited flexibility respectively. These new fares will be offered to Olympic Air’s passengers from February 2014.

Moreover, following a recent meeting with representatives of the Greek region, the company announced a package of initiatives to support the remote areas of Greece, by integrating the second lowest fare of €39 from/to remote areas in order to boost the demand, by introducing new charges for the connection between the remote islands and abroad with a significant reduction in travel cost up to €140, as well as by increasing capacity during July – September, at no additional cost to the state, where it is commercially and operationally feasible.

Aegean will make dynamic start in 2014 also in terms of its network, with a further expansion of international destinations and new routes.

Analytically, Aegean announced the addition of 15 new destinations from Athens in 2014, reaching to 47 overall international destinations from Athens. Specifically the new destinations include: Birmingham in England, Marseille and Nantes in France, Zurich in Switzerland, Hamburg, Hanover and Nuremberg in Germany, Copenhagen in Denmark, Catania in Italy, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Beirut in Lebanon and Paphos in Cyprus, as well as four additional cities including Stockholm, Sweden or Oslo in Norway, Ljubljana in Slovenia, Dubrovnik in Croatia.

Overall in 2014, 45 to 50 new routes will be added from the eight bases of the company in Athens and in the Greek region, including the new base in Chania.  As a result, Aegean and Olympic Air will jointly cover in 2014 a network of more than 250 routes, of which 205 or more are international routes and 47 to 50 domestic routes.

The progress so far and the development of Aegean is based on collaborative effort and support by six major business groups (Vassilakis, A & P Laskarides Constantakopoulos A., D. Ioannou, G. David, Piraeus Bank) and 52,000 shareholders who continue to support the company into its dynamic new course that appears after the acquisition of Olympic Air.

Copyright Photo: Christian Volpati/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A320-232 SX-DGB (msn 4165) taxies at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG).

Aegean Airlines: