Greece acquires its own purely domestic airline. The name of this one is Cycladic and to some extent it also reveals the market it wants to cover. To a certain extent, because it will fly to the Dodecanese, as well as to Athens and back. It starts with brand new small but ultra-luxury aircraft for their size that look more like private jets than regular airlines. However, it promises an average ticket price for one route of less than 200 euros.

Thus, it automatically enters the market of so-called affordable luxury, but at the same time promises to provide a solution to real communication problems between the islands of the Aegean Sea, which host many government agencies and services that are crucial to the economy. justice and more in the island nation.

However, among all this, the project shows that Greek tourism is developing along with the needs of Greek and foreign travelers to travel between the main destinations of the country. Obviously, it is these needs that form the basis for the development of a new small but ambitious airline.

But let’s start from the very beginning. Cycladic is an investment that implements the scheme of interests of the shipowner Nicholas Lykiardopoulos, known among other things for his investments in fish farms. In this first phase of the business plan, the airline will use three new Cessna Grand Caravan EX single-engine turboprop high-wing aircraft, as the aircraft model is called, which, according to market information, cost more than 3 million euros each.

Two of these aircraft will fly on certain regular routes. Those who wish can buy tickets for these flights online or through agencies. They will have their own codes, like all flights, and check-in will take place as usual at the airport’s ground handling offices, like all other commercial flights. The third Cessna Grand Caravan EX will remain available for charter for private flights.

Three new Cessna Grand Caravans promise an average ticket price of less than 200 euros and VIP service.

The capacity of each Cessna Grand Caravan varies, depending on the needs, from 8 to 12 passengers, and, of course, it will have two pilots. It is worth noting that two of the eight pilots hired by Cycladic are women. Each passenger, as a rule, can carry up to 23 kg of luggage. Tellingly, the flight time between Santorini and Milos is 20 minutes, with company sources promising that Cycladic’s intention is to keep the average ticket price below €200, but adding that it can change depending on demand.

Cycladic will initially only fly between certain islands of the Cyclades, Rhodes and Crete. The two aircraft that will operate these routes will be based in Paros. Private flights, for which a third plane has been booked, will be able, among other things, to depart from and arrive in Athens.

The company has a flexible plan, which, in addition to the prospect of increasing the fleet, provides for the possibility of adding other destinations depending on the evolution of demand. The first flights will start in October and will initially connect Chania, Santorini, Heraklion, Mykonos, Paros, Rhodes and Syros, but more destinations will be added during the winter months and Milos will be included in the summer. The company secured the necessary slots at the airports and completed all the necessary preparations such as, for example, the aircraft maintenance base and the staffing of all its operational units.

The company’s management circles tell K that “the vision is to increase the connection of the Greek islands with each other in a fast and simple way, and the goal is not only to create a purely tourism product, but also a service that will facilitate the movement of permanent residents of the islands in throughout the year. We cannot talk about sustainable tourism if the actions of people in this sector do not significantly improve the daily lives of residents in each destination.”

Cycladic’s future plans include not only buying other aircraft, as mentioned above, but also investing in electric aircraft. The airline will operate on a 12-month basis, duly stating that “it does not fly to subsidized destinations” and “this is purely a private initiative and investment.”