Four Greek ministers, including health minister Adonis Georgiadis, deputy minister for transport Christina Alexopoulou, deputy citizen protection minister Andreas Nikolakopoulos and deputy minister for maritime affairs and island policy Ioannis Pappas, were the first to fly on a Hellenic Seaplanes aircraft during its inaugural flight.
The first flight saw the aircraft take off above Lavrio, in southeast Attica last Saturday, with the company taking to X to post “First flights in the Aegean for our seaplanes on July 12 and 14.”
Hellenic Seaplanes’ sites cover a wide area of Greece, with water airports built and licensed in Volos, Patra, Tinos, Patmos, Skyros, Alonissos, Skopelos, Sifnos, Kalamata and Kyllini.
The routes are yet to be launched for the public.
Hellenic Seaplanes and its new Sitia Waterport
The company has recently announced the opening of a waterport in Sitia, Crete, and claims to be setting “the pace for developments on the eastern side of the island,” as well as applauding the grant of an establishment permit for the waterport, stating that it “brings seaplanes one step closer to the Megalonga Island.”
According to Hellenic Seaplanes, along with the airport and shipping, Sitia is getting ready to welcome the prefecture of Lassithi into its flight route, meaning the prefecture will see six pairs of flights from Sitia each day.
A spokesperson for Hellenic Seaplanes said: “The positioning of the waterways in Sitia allows interconnection with other facilities, including Ierapetra and Kissamos, while mobility is expected to increase for island hopping routes in the South Aegean and in particular the infrastructure in the Dodecanese and other destinations in the Cyclades with the completion of the construction and certification of the Sitia waterport.”
The President and CEO of Hellenic Seaplanes, Nicolas Charalambous, said: “The waterport in Sitia has been licensed and Crete is once again getting a boost with the arrival of seaplanes.”
He added “With the licensing of the waterways and aquatic facilities, the island is now feeling the spring of life. We are building a nationwide network that will be sustainable in principle and the passenger will be able to go to areas where it is either very difficult to move by road or very time-consuming by boat.”
On the advantages of creating a waterway, the President of the Port Fund of Sitia, Mr. Manolis Ailamakis, said “We are pleased to inform citizens that in Sitia the waterport licence has been registered, and with proper planning steps we will be able to fly to the islands.”
He continued “We will be able to fly to water fields and other waterways in Crete and the South Aegean without any restrictions on the number of flights per day, and we will be able to carry out side activities related to seaplanes.”