AIA has grounds for state support
Passenger traffic at Athens International Airport declined by 84.2% year-on-year in November to just 263,000 travelers, making it the ninth consecutive month of decline in the double digits.
Given the lockdown that took effect from November 7, passenger numbers on domestic flights shrank 80% and on international flights by 86%.
In total, over the January-November period, traffic at the country’s main airport amounted to 7.8 million passengers, down 67.2% year-on-year, with international traffic shrinking 70.5% and domestic traffic dropping 59.9%.
Besides traffic, another element that reveals the blow air transport has suffered this year is the turnover index in the industry by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT): In Q3 turnover fell 69% year-on-year, while in the same period of 2019 there had been a 1.7% increase from the third quarter of 2018.
In view of all this, AIA considers it necessary to issue a demand for state compensation, which is based on Article 31 of the concession contract approved by Parliament in 1995, providing for cases such as pandemics. The AIA may well have its annual fee reduced or waived.
