A new inter-island “micro-airline” had its inaugural flight on Sunday 24th October, carrying the Regional Governor of the South Aegean Giorgos Hatzimarkos from Rhodes to Syros.
Sponsored by the shipowner Nikolas Lykiardopoulos and operated by the private jet and helicopter management company IFly SA, Cycladic Air will fly point-to-point between Santorini, Paros, Mykonos, Syros, Crete (Chania and Heraklion) and Rhodes, with flights ranging between 20 and 80 minutes. The airline will operate all year round, with Milos being added during the summer months.
With the aim of facilitating movement between the islands for residents but also encouraging island-hopping by travellers, the flights will be carried out by three Cessna Grand Caravan 208BEX high-wing turboprop aircraft, which fly at low altitudes. The company emphasises the improved passenger experience offered by the planes with their large windows, and also the low environmental footprint of the state-of-the art aircraft.
In a speech of welcome at Syros airport, the Regional Governor George Hatzimarkos said:
“We welcome to our islands the air connections of Cycladic, which will affect both the residents and our touristic product. From today they have a new route connecting the islands with one another, and that is the airline which is inaugurated with this flight 51 from Rhodes to Syros. It was an exceptional pleasure for me to be flying on this flight – it is an easy and splendid means of travel. We welcome Cycladic, as we welcome every investment effort which comes to respond to the real needs of the islands, and also responds to their dynamic and outlook. I want to thank the founder of Cycladic Mr Likiardopoulos and his colleague Mr Vergis from IFly who are today implementing a commercial project which has been one of our dreams for many years.
“Both the Mayor of Syros [Nikos Livadaras] and the Deputy Regional Governor [Giorgos Leontaritis] are here, and we are here to say that we embrace all these initiatives which give added value to our economy. The return from this confidence from the international investment community is obviously first of all to the Greek economy, but we also reap the benefit in the name of the islands, and we are here to help fashion something which has been an aspiration of ours for many years, that is to say a good collaboration between the private and the public sector, so as to attract the investments which are so much needed by the economy, the community, residents and visitors.”
A video of the reception at Syros airport, with speeches and exchanges of gifts, can be seen on YouTube. It includes a short interview with Kyriaki Katsogresaki, who comes from the village of Ziros near Zakros in eastern Crete and, having worked as personal air stewardess to the royal family of Saudi Arabia, went to flying school and is now in her first job as a pilot for Cycladic Air.