Heraklion acquires its own network! New destination: HAMBURG

With direct flights to 10 national and international destinations, Heraklion is becoming a strategic hub of the fastest-growing Greek airline.

SKY express further enhances its connectivity by uniting Heraklion with popular domestic and European destinations and thus creates bridges within Greece and abroad. The historic city of Heraklion and also Crete as a whole are upgraded and become the airline’s second hub, contributing to greater development for the island on a national and international level.

Effective today, June 22, the state-of-the-art Airbus A320neo of SKY express commences flights from the State Airport of Heraklion “N. Kazantzakis” to Hamburg, twice a week. In the following days, specifically on July 9, 10 & 17, direct flights begin, initially to the emblematic Charles de Gaulle in Paris and successively to three French cities, Nantes, Lyon and Lille. In addition, the Heraklion-Amsterdam route will be inaugurated on July 11, while direct flights to Dortmund will soon follow.

In total, operation from the Heraklion hub will include routes to four domestic destinations (Athens, Rhodes, Thessaloniki, Volos) and seven international ones in 3 countries (Paris, Nantes, Lyon, Lille, Hamburg, Dortmund, Amsterdam).

The expansion of SKY express’ network and flight schedule was planned with the aim of preparing and optimizing the ground for the arrival of visitors from Europe, either for business or pleasure. Direct flights save valuable time and of course favor the national effort to promote the country as an ideal destination 12 months a year.

Efforts towards this objective started with the inauguration of the route Heraklion-Volos on June 15. With the pivotal message "One flight - Countless options in Crete and Central Greece", the fastest-growing Greek airline onwards connects the two central cities of the country twice a week.

As Mr. Vassilis Krasanakis, Network Planning & Pricing Manager of SKY express points out: “Our goal for SKY express is to launch communication channels laden with prospects and opportunities for the entire country. Constituting Heraklion as a hub that connects Crete not only with the rest of Greece as we have been doing so far, but also with Central Europe, is a practical proof of our commitment to bolster Crete as an autonomous pole of touristic development. Taking into account our well-timed planning, we estimate that July and August will move at very good traffic levels, and we will achieve our goal of extending the season with the inflow of premium travelers”.

Respectively, Mr. Georgios Pliakas, Head of the State Airport of Heraklion, Crete, emphasizes: “SKY express is upgrading the airport of Heraklion and its key position. The new direct connections abroad and at home will give the opportunity to even more travelers to acquaint themselves with Crete. We are very satisfied and confident that the new venture of this great Cretan company will be as successful as everything it has accomplished so far”.

Crete now has one more reason to trust the fastest-growing Greek airline. SKY express satisfies the need for connectivity and growth prospects with reliability, high-quality services and competitive terms.

About SKY express

SKY express, the fastest-growing Greek airline, is redefining the landscape of aviation. Apart from operating the largest network in the country, it has entered international markets and now covers a total of 48 destinations in 9 countries and keeps growing.

Moreover, it has brokered significant interline agreements with global airlines such as KLM, Air France, Qatar Airways, Middle East Airlines, and Cyprus Airways.

SKY express belongs to the IOGR Group of companies, founded and owned by Ioannis Grylos. A strong and dynamically rising business group with significant presence in various sectors, employing more than 5,500 people. Most of the Group's operations are in the aviation industry, both as a flight operator with SKY express and as a ground handling service provider, with Skyserv and Swissport SUD, and is present in 36 airports of the country and serves as clients more than 250 airlines. The Group is also active in the fields of tourism, logistics, olive oil export market, etc.