Greece awards PSO routes to Astra, Olympic, and Sky Express

The Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA) has announced the final allocation of Public Service Obligation (PSO) routes following proposals submitted by several carriers.

Subsidies currently total EUR9 million per annum (USD 10.1 million) or EUR36 million (USD40.5 million) for the duration of the four-year contracts which run from October 1, 2016 until September 30, 2020.

As such, the allocations are as follows with each route's maximum annual financial compensation in parenthesis:

Astra Airlines (Thessaloniki): -Athens - Kalymnos (EUR1,377,270.66); -Thessaloniki - Lemnos - Ikaria (EUR2,121,603.14); -The HCAA has also extended Astra Airlines' Athens - Kozani - Kastoria contract, which was not tendered for, until August 31, 2018 with a compensation of EUR660,000 per annum.

Olympic Air (OA, Athens): -Athens - Leros (no financial compensation); -Thessaloniki - Kalamata (no financial compensation); -Athens - Syros Island (EUR1,894,712); -Rhodes International - Kastelorizo (EUR3,676,796); -Lemnos - Mytilene - Chios - Samos - Rhodes (EUR606,884 - contract runs from October 1, 2016 until March 31, 2017); -Rhodes - Kos Hippocrates - Kalymnos - Leros - Astypalaia (EUR508,930 - contract runs from October 1, 2016 until March 31, 2017); -Thessaloniki - Kerkyra (EUR84,787 - contract runs from October 1, 2016 until March 31, 2017); -Thessaloniki - Skiros (EUR169,585 - contract runs from October 1, 2016 until March 31, 2017).

SKY Express (Greece) (GQ, Irakleion): -Athens - Milos (no financial compensation); -Athens - Naxos (no financial compensation); -Athens - Syros Island (no financial compensation); -Athens - Astypalaia (EUR1.58 million); -Rhodes - Karpathos - Kasos (EUR3.18 million); -Athens - Sitia (EUR82,953 - contract runs from October 1, 2016 until March 31, 2017); -Preveza/Lefkas - Sitia (EUR320,738 - contract runs from October 1, 2016 until March 31, 2017); -Alexandroupolis - Sitia (EUR320,782 - contract runs from October 1, 2016 until March 31, 2017); -Kerkyra - Preveza/Lefkas - Kefallinia - Zakinthos (EUR376,527 - contract runs from October 1, 2016 until March 31, 2017).