The tender for the lean airlines is heading towards the final straight, as the opening of the financial offers and the announcement of the contractors is expected in the coming days.
However, we will not have contractors on all lines, as on two of them no bids were submitted (Kalamata - Kythira - Thessaloniki and Athens - Kozani - Kastoria) and 6 lines will be re-tendered.
How the tender for the barren lines is progressing
Specifically, in the new, major tender for the 28 lean air routes, which will be awarded from 1 February 2023 to 31 January 2027, the following occurred:
- For 10 routes (Athens - Zakynthos, Athens - Ikaria, Athens - Kythira, Athens - Karpathos, Athens - Karpathos, Athens - Milos, Athens - Naxos, Athens - Paros, Athens - Skiathos, Thessaloniki - Samos and Thessaloniki - Chios), carriers have expressed their intention to operate them without financial compensation. These routes have been declared “infertile”.
- The tender continued for the remaining 18 routes, but SKY express filed an appeal for 6 routes, requesting that they be tendered individually and not as clusters. The airline's request was granted by the Court of Justice and a new call for tenders is expected from the APA.
- Following the successful appeal by SKY express, the tender procedure continues for 12 routes (Athens - Astypalaia, Athens - Syros, Athens - Leros, Athens - Kalymnos, Athens - Skyros, Athens - Sitia, Athens - Kozani - Kastoria, Thessaloniki - Kalamata - Kythira, Thessaloniki - Skyros, Thessaloniki - Limnos - Ikaria, Alexandroupolis - Sitia and Aktion - Sitia).
Of the above 12 routes, two were not tendered (Kalamata - Kythira - Thessaloniki and Athens - Kozani - Kastoria).
The remaining 10 routes are claimed by SKY express and Olympic Air. According to Capital.gr, SKY express claims 8 routes and Olympic Air 7.
- For the remaining 6 lines (Thessaloniki - Corfu, Corfu - Aktion - Kefalonia - Zakynthos, Rhodes - Karpathos - Kasos - Sitia, Rhodes - Kastelorizo, Rhodes - Kos - Kalymnos - Leros - Astypalaia and Lemnos - Mytilini - Chios - Samos - Rhodes) a new notice is expected.
Today, the majority of the barren routes are operated by SKY express, owned by entrepreneur Ioannis Grylos, and Olympic Air, a subsidiary of AEGEAN, which have renewed their fleet of ATR aircraft.
