Archive for December, 2007

Italy considers the once-unthinkable: letting foreigners buy Alitalia

Wednesday, December 26th, 2007

PARIS: When British Airways experimented a decade ago with removing the Union Jack from the tail fins of its planes, few of the company’s executives seemed to have anticipated the public outcry that would ensue. Scale models bearing examples of the new “ethnic” designs were displayed at a Conservative Party conference in 1997. The former […]

New EU probe into Olympic Airlines

Wednesday, December 19th, 2007

Olympic Airlines, the loss-making Greek carrier, faces a fresh blow Wednesday when the European Commission opens new investigations into whether it is receiving illegal state aid. The Commission, which has accused Athens of funnelling about €600m ($865m) to the airline from 1994 to 2005, will now examine payments after that date. It suspects that the […]

Nationwide 24-hour-strike to paralyse transport across Greece

Wednesday, December 12th, 2007

Dec 11, 2007, 9:56 GMT Athens – All flights are expected be grounded, ships to be docked and urban transport and public services are expected to grind to a halt across Greece when labour unions Wednesday stage a 24-hour-strike to protest proposed pension reforms. No flights would be leaving or arriving at Athens International Airport […]

Chances of saving Olympic are slim

Sunday, December 9th, 2007

Saturday December 8, 2007-Transport Minister Costis Hatzidakis said yesterday that state-owned Olympic Airlines cannot be saved in its present form and should be replaced with a new company, as efforts for debt settlement with the European Union looked set for failure. «We want to transfer (OA’s) name, logo and air slots to a new entity,» […]

Olympic Airways to follow Sabena case as Greek government thinks no alternative

Saturday, December 8th, 2007

The Greek government sees Sabena “solution” as the only solution to Olympic Airways (Greece’s national carrier) “problem”, as it aims to close the airline until 2008. The government’s new plan wants to create a new smaller airline which is going to be sold to a private company immediately after the closure of Greece’s national carrier. […]

Greece says Olympic Air rescue unlikely

Saturday, December 8th, 2007

ATHENS, Dec 7 (Reuters) – Greece said on Friday a rescue of its ailing Olympic Airlines was unlikely but the state company could shut down and reopen debt-free. “Our first aim is to rescue the airline exactly as it is but this is not the most likely scenario,” Transport Minister Kostis Hatzidakis told parliament. “A […]

Ta Nea, Greece: New company to replace Olympic Airlines

Tuesday, December 4th, 2007

The Greek government is considering the closing of the Airline company Olympic Airlines, the Greek daily Ta Nea reports. Since Brussels continues to insist that the company returns to the state the subsidies it has been allotted /about EUR 500 Million/, the government is considering options to solve the problem. According to the information, the […]