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   Low-cost carrier Ryanair has announced plans to stop serving Greece's largest   
   and busiest airport for the winter season.   
       
   In an announcement the budget airline said it would close its Athens base on   
   October 29 for the winter season, highlighting that the airport charging   
   structure in Greece is "dysfunctional" as it rewards German airport operators   
   "who control a vital part of Greek national infrastructure to the detriment of   
   economic growth" in tourism and connectivity.   
       
   "Athens Airport is a prime example of how the Greek government and German   
   high-cost ownership is failing to deliver for Greece's people and economy,"   
   Ryanair’s CEO, Eddie Wilson, said.   
       
   According to Ryanair, Athens Airport along with other Greek airports, managed   
   by "German monopoly" Fraport offer no incentive to stimulate traffic in the   
   winter season or to grow off peak tourism and connections to Athens, which   
   should be a thriving year-round destination.   
       
   "Regrettably for Greek citizens, the decision to sell most of the Greek   
   airports to high cost German operators has had a devastating impact on job   
   creation as these foreign airport operators have a stranglehold on the Greek   
   economy by restricting the flow of tourists and business connections and have   
   no interest in lowering prices to stimulate traffic," Wilson said.   
       
   Ryanair's CEO added that the Greek government has "inexplicably" failed to   
   respond to Ryanair's ambitious growth plans for a much-needed tourism recovery   
   scheme to lower its uncompetitive airport charges and assist traffic recovery   
   post-Covid, as Croatia, Ireland, Portugal and others have already done.   
       
   The airline highlights said that instead of lowering charges and introducing   
   tourism recovery schemes like other countries, the Greek government continues   
   to apply a "penal airport development tax" of 12 euros per passenger, making   
   Greek access charges uncompetitive.   
       
   "We again ask Minister for Tourism, Vassilis Kikilias, to reply to our written   
   growth proposals in which we offer to transform Greece's tourism market over   
   the next 5 years by doubling traffic to 10m passengers p.a., bolstering   
   off-peak tourism, creating 4,000 local jobs, and supporting much-needed   
   regional development," Ryanair's CEO said.   
       
   Ryanair has claimed to have submitted several growth proposals to the Greek   
   government since November 2021 that would "completely transform" Greek tourism   
   over the next 5 years.   
       
   "This failure of engagement by the Greek government has already led to   
   Ryanair's closure of our Rhodes base this summer and has now forced us to   
   close our Athens base this October and reallocate this capacity to lower cost   
   competing destinations, such as Italy, Spain Cyprus and Portugal," he added.   
      
   --- DB4 - 20220519   
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