By Fanis Zois
Strategic planning by the Fraport-Slentel consortium, which won the tender to assume management of 14 provincial airports around Greece – including the facilities in Thessaloniki, Mykonos and Santorini – was the focus of a meeting last Thursday in the Greek capital, with Fraport CEO and board chairman Stefan Schulte and Slentel President Dimitris Copelouzos overseeing the meeting.
The consortium will assume the 14 airports’ management in October 2016 in a concession lasting 40 years.
A 330-million-euro investment plan is envisioned until 2020, with an additional 1.4 billion euros budgeted for the duration of the concession. One highlight of the investment plan is to extend the tourism season into the spring and autumn months, in order to boost traffic and revenue, and to better showcase the locations served by the airports.
The 14 airports to be transferred to the consortium’s management are in Thessaloniki, Corfu, Chania, Cephallonia, Zakynthos, Aktio, Kavala, Rhodes, Kos, Samos, Mytilene (Lesvos), Mykonos, Santorini and Skiathos. Eleven of the airports are located on islands that are traditional Grecian holiday destinations for foreign tourists.
