Archive for the 'General Airline News' Category

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 […]

Olympic Airlines’ future in question

Tuesday, December 4th, 2007

Greece’s transport minister has warned that national carrier Olympic Airlines faces a dim future as speculation increases that the airline will be closed within a few months. In a series of carefully worded statements late Friday and over the weekend, Costis Hadzidakis reaffirmed the government’s commitment to keep the airline aloft. But he also stressed […]

Ryanair lawsuit bad news for Olympic-Greece

Saturday, December 1st, 2007

Fri Nov 30, 2007 4:04 PM GMT ATHENS, Nov 30 (Reuters) – Ryanair’s (RYA.I: Quote, Profile , Research) lawsuit against the European Commission over its failure to make Olympic Airlines [OLY.UL] pay back state aid will discourage any investors interested in the airline, Greece said on Friday. Greece has been trying to privatise the airline, […]

UPDATE: So Long ‘Heathrow Hassle?’ Terminal 5 Billed As Travel Cure-all

Monday, November 26th, 2007

LONDON (Dow Jones) — At the headquarters of Heathrow airport’s operator, BAA, employees drink tea out of “Making Heathrow Great” mugs. A few miles away, at the home of flagship carrier British Airways Plc, impatient executives watch a clock that’s counting down the hours to the opening in March of the airport’s much-hyped and long-awaited […]

Ryanair files suit over alleged Greek state aid to Olympic, ‘happy’ with Aer Lingus losses

Friday, November 23rd, 2007

Ryanair Holdings PLC filed a lawsuit Thursday against the European Commission — its third such action this month in complaints challenging funding of national airlines by European governments. In its latest suit, Ryanair accused EU competition authorities of failing to investigate €500 million (US$740 million) in money paid by the Greek government to Olympic Airlines. […]

Commentary Greek Newspaper Kathimerini

Sunday, November 18th, 2007

Nov 17, 2007 Olympic safety concerns Recent reports about troubled state-owned air carrier Olympic Airlines have annulled the last remaining argument for maintaining the stagnant situation: Safety has gradually ceased to be the company’s comparative advantage. Continuous company losses have pushed its managers toward cheap and patchy solutions in a bid to keep the company […]

Olympic Airlines grounds 4 ‘unsafe’ planes

Sunday, November 18th, 2007

Officials at state-carrier Olympic Airlines (OA) yesterday blamed state oversights for the leasing from a Spanish company of four passenger aircraft that displayed serious, and potentially dangerous, operational defects. They stressed that there was no problem with any planes currently operating. The comments came after one of the four Boeing 737s was grounded after displaying […]