The economic woes in Greece have had a profound effect on the aviation business in the country but passenger numbers at Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos (AIA) have remained robust and the facility has continued to secure new business, including a landmark link from Qatar Airways to New York.
According to AIA executives, this network growth has been achieved thanks to its strong partnership concept with its airline operators and a scheme of aeronautical incentives and marketing support. For many years now it has been offering a “risk-sharing” incentive scheme, providing significant discounts to its charges for the airlines developing new and /or additional services out of Greek capital.
AIA’s incentives have significantly benefited its partner airlines and in the past couple of years notable rebates have been paid to carriers, while other funds were distributed to carriers following the completion of ad-hoc supportive incentives.
This winter AIA will introduce three further targeted incentive schemes to further enhance relationships with current and potential future airline partners. These additional ‘risk-sharing’ activities introduce substantial incentives for airlines to incentivise them to sustain or increase traffic during the winter low traffic season and will run from November 2013 to March 2014.
In order to encourage airlines to sustain or increase the number of the promotional fares distributed to the market and thus stimulate demand for air travel and in line with its risk-sharing philosophy, AIA is reintroducing a Winter Low Fares incentive. It offers discounts which may range from 50 per cent to 65 per cent on AIA’s passenger charges for all low fare tickets to all domestic or international routes out of Athens, ranging in savings of between €5 and €15 per passenger.
In order to stimulate additional traffic and attract new direct services from niche markets that are currently not operated to or from Athens, AIA is offering operators eligible to the existing ‘New International Route Incentive’, an additional fixed return amount per departing passengers of between €5 and €10, resulting in discounts up to 77 per cent on AIA’s aeronautical charges per passenger.
In addition to the above, AIA, aiming at supporting airline load factors and encouraging airlines to increase their traffic out of Athens, will offer a fixed return amount of €10 per additional passenger to those carriers that will exceed the threshold load factors, provided that each eligible airline does not demonstrate a decline in the total number of traffic, frequencies, & capacity on the specific route, compared to the previous respective season.
In total the new targeted incentives correspond to discounts ranging from 30 per cent to 77 per cent on AIA’s aeronautical charges. “Not only are they focused on incentivizing airlines’ developmental decisions, but they also take into account traffic developments during this difficult period,” said Ioanna Papadopoulou, Director Communications & Marketing, Athens International Airport. “With these measures, AIA participates even more in its airline partners’ risk, while at the same time the airport’s existing developmental incentives scheme continues.”
Despite the fact that aeronautical charges are not a determining factor for passenger traffic development, with this set of targeted incentives corresponding to significant discounts on its aeronautical charges, as well as with strong marketing support packages offered to airlines operating to and from Athens, AIA believes its incentive campaign will contribute significantly towards stimulating the potential of the Athens aviation market during the current adverse economic situation.
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