300 mln euro seaplane project on course despite pandemic

Hellenic Seaplanes, which has ordered two seaplanes and is in the process of completing technical procedures on the completion of waterways, is in a race against time to avoid missing out on this year's season.

The company remains committed to the goal of flying in Greece in 2020 and is soon expected to make announcements on the delivery of its first aircraft and other technical issues.

As Nikolas Charalambous, president, and CEO of Hellenic Seaplanes, tells Business Daily, "we will continue to develop and build on what we have achieved up until today, to ensure that we are consistently moving ahead with our planning implementing the 2020 program. We haven't written off this year. "

It is clear that the company is fully aware of the limitations imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic and is now adjusting its strategy to avoid wasting valuable time.

In this context, the company has made significant progress, taking advantage of the online process of submitting the necessary paperwork setting out the technical details of its entire network. The first results have already been sent directly by the Ministry of Infrastructure & Transport's water runway assessment service despite the difficulties of the pandemic. At the same time, the Civil Aviation Authority has approved the content of the educational program for the staff working at the waterways.

As Charalambous points out, the company, in full compliance with the law on the establishment and operation of waterways, has updated the technical files concerning projects it has undertaken so far and submitted them to the Ministry for waterways in Volos, Thessaloniki, Kalamata, Skyros, Tinos, Sitia, Chios, and Amfilochia. Additionally, the licensing for 21 waterways in the southern Aegean is in full swing, with the first one having been completed.

Investments in this project exceed 300 million euros over five years, while seaplanes are seen as helping create new tourism products, additional activities as well as boosting interest for real estate on islands and remote areas that will soon be connected by air.

Antiopi Sxoina