| |
SCOTS budget airline flyglobespan today announced its first flights to Greece.
The fast-growing carrier said it would fly to Athens and Crete from Glasgow Airport.
The airline will fly weekly to the Greek capital and Heraklion starting in May with fares starting at just £69 one way.
The latest expansion means flyglobespan will now serve 18 destinations from Glasgow.
And it will also pit the airline into battle with its smaller rival Air Scotland which has long served Athens.
Flyglobespan boss Tom Dalrymple said: "These are our first Greek destinations.
"We are very pleased to launch the flyglobespan model in that market and we look forward to further expansion there."
Greece has long been a hot favourite with Scots holidaymakers.
Around a quarter of a million people fly to Greek resorts from Glasgow Airport alone.
Flyglobespan will be aiming to take a share of that market - not least by offering to arrange hotels for passengers as well as flights.
The company is well on its way to achieving its target of carrying two million passengers in 2006.
It already flies to such major European destinations as Barcelona, Prague, Amsterdam and London.
And tickets for its flagship transatlantic service to Orlando in Florida, unveiled earlier this winter, have been selling fast.
"Orlando is looking at being very good for us but there are plenty of other encouraging signs as well," said Mr Dalrymple.
"For example, we had originally planned to fly Glasgow-Ibiza once a week next summer but demand has been so good we have upped that to two flights a week
"It seems to us the more destinations we can fly to, the demand is there.
"We have other places in mind for next year but there is no point going public with them until we have organised good landing times and sorted out appropriate accommodation."
Stephen Baxter, the managing director of BAA Scotland, the firm that owns Glasgow Airport, said: "Greece is one of the most popular countries from Glasgow Airport, attracting almost 250,000 passengers a year.
"Demand for these new services is likely to be very high.
"This latest round of expansion is further evidence of flyglobespan's growing ambition.
"With more flights from Glasgow than any other airline, and further expansion on the way from both Glasgow and Edinburgh, flyglobespan has really transformed the low fares market from Scotland."
Air Scotland flights to Athens are currently unavailable - although the destination is still advertised on the airline's website.
A spokeswoman said Air Scotland, which recently changed ownership, had still to load its full summer schedule on to its internet site.
|
|
|
