LONDON – The best way to travel to the Greek Islands? Qatar now flies to the island of Santorini (JTR) and will resume flights to Mykonos (JMK). Its service to Athens increases from single to twice daily flights as of the beginning of this month.
The first flight to the Greek Islands region was to Santorini, on the 7th of June. Qatar has chosen its smallest fleet, the narrow-body Airbus A320. The A320 features 12 Business Class seats and 132 in Economy class.
This inaugural flight marks the expansion of Qatar’s footprint expansion in Greece, as the airline sees major potential for international tourism to such islands.
On a less serious note, passengers on the inaugural flight were pampered with specially baked cupcakes, with bespoke Greek cuisine served for meals in Business and Economy classes.
The first flight was flown by a local Qatari Captain and a Greek national Andrew Evlambides in the right-hand seat. Flights to Santorini will be flown thrice weekly.
Qatar Airways top man Akbar Al Baker, stated: “The Greek Isles are a leading tourist destination and an important market for Qatar Airways. There is high interest from across our network for flights to Santorini, specifically in the leisure segment.”
“We are committed to offering our passengers as many seamless one-stop connection choices as possible. I am sure visitors from the Middle East, Asia, Australia and the Americas will be pleased to have Santorini served by our airline.”
Whilst Mr Alexander Zinell, CEO of Fraport Greece said: “We feel honoured that Qatar Airways’ has included Santorini in its network and expanding its presence at the Fraport Greece operated airports.”
“Greece offers to the world some truly iconic holiday destinations and Qatar Airways now makes Santorini accessible from numerous new markets via its Doha hub. The 5-star Qatar Airways product is a perfect match for outstanding Santorini.”
“The travel experience has been further upgraded as our brand-new Santorini Airport terminal is now completed. We will continue to work with Qatar Airways and partners offering highly efficient airport operations and passenger experience worthy of the Santorini brand name.”
The resumption of Mykonos flights is also a breath of fresh air — signalling a recovery in the tourism market, and the confidence that the Qatari flag carrier has in the Greek market. The airline will fly this route 4 times weekly.
The resumption of this flight means that Qatar will have 3 destinations in Greece — Athens, Mykonos and Santorini. This gives passengers, both leisure and business originating from Athens more choices or any other 2 destinations to connect to over 150 destinations from Doha Airport.
The resumption of flights to Mykonos, and a new route to Santorini gives confidence to Greece’s heavily reliant tourism economy. Flying to Athens will now be a notch more convenient, given Qatar’s additional daily flight.
Santorini is famous for its blue seas and its unique architecture called the Thira, and is one of the most sought-after destinations in the Aegean.
