Page 130 - ATHENS RIVIERA JOURNAL 2022

ATHENS RIVIERA JOURNAL
influence

GREEK TOURISM FLYING HIGH the Ellinikon and Vouliagmeni marina mega-projects

as well as the wider development and improvement
of the infrastructure of the unique Athenian Riviera,
B eginning his career at Gol- his perspective on Greece’s air a par with other global tourist destinations that have
will holistically strengthen the high demands of these
types of tourists. This will result in Athens being on
The CEO of Goldair Handling ,
already adopted this type of tourism.
What steps have already been made towards develop-
Dimitris Papamichail, gives us
ing the new type of air tourism in Greece?
Greece has progressed rapidly in recent years in attract-
ing high-level air tourism. A key pillar of development
was obviously the development of the airports, namely
Athens and the 14 regional airports. The improvement
dair S.A. in 1986 to become
Goldair Handling’s CEO for
increases as well as recent investments that Greek air-
how tourism is progressing.
Greece and Bulgaria in 2010,
lines have made in new aircrafts. At the same time, the
we caught up with Dimitris Papamichail for an in-depth industry, ground handling and of the facilities came about due to the airlines’ capacity
international alliances that the country is building give
discussion about the developments on the Athenian Interview by ELSA SOIMIRI a vote of confidence to the “Greek” tourism brand, re-
Riviera, air tourism and how Greece has performed cently resulting in a significant increase in direct flights
despite the many challenges it has faced. from the US, and an increase in flight frequencies from
France, and other markets such as Austria, Poland and
Goldair Handling has a strong presence in many air- Israel. Powerful investments groups making large in-
ports in Greece as well as Bulgaria and Cyprus, and vestments in the hospitality have resulted in new 5-star
continues to be the first privately owned ground hotel facilities in several destinations, which if nothing
handling company in the country. With leisure travel else, contribute decisively to this type of tourism, lead-
now shaped by emotional criteria with travelers seek- ing to Greece ranking 5th place this year in the “Tour-
ing memorable rather than consumer-based experi- Venizelos” in 2001 and more recently, with the 14 re- for Greece is strong, aircraft load levels are high and we ism” category.
ences, can you describe the experience that Goldair gional airports now managed by Fraport Greece. In find that the loss of tourists from Russia and Ukraine In an intense and ever-changing economic as well
Handling offers visitors? both cases, significant investments have been made, has already been more than covered by other markets. as social environment, what personal motto do you
We pioneered by being the first privately owned com- both in terms of the overall passenger experience and Although we are definitely going to have a busy sum- rely on?
pany in Greece, following the end of the monopoly the premium offering. Regarding the latter, our com- mer season, we are extremely wary of the problems The environment we have been operating in for many
regime in 1999, whilst also paving the way for Greek pany consistently invests, among other things, in lux- the airline industry is facing, there are flight delays or years is not only dynamic, but I would dare to say a
ground handling companies to expand overseas. The ury premium lounges, with the opening this year of cancellations due to lack of airport security staff and development of airports in the Balkans (Croatia, Ser- "WE ARE EXCITED kind of risky, for the reason that the ten-year economic
success of both ventures continues to be based on the two premium lounges at AIA “El. Venizelos”, one in cabin crew and lost luggage due to the lack of ground bia) are some of our strategic plans for the next decade. crisis in Greece was succeeded by a global health crisis
quality of services, or if you like, on replacing “pro- Mykonos and one in Heraklion, Crete, all offering staff at key European airports. With the search for quality forms of tourism develop- ABOUT OUR RECENT which is ongoing. We are also already heading for the
cess” with “hospitality”, which as Greeks, is our em- upgraded hospitality and fine dining services before What is Goldair Handling’s strategy for the next ment at the forefront, air tourism undoubtedly con- next geopolitical crisis which has brought with it an ex-
blematic and traditional characteristic. I will tell you, passengers board. ten years? How do you envision ground handling tributes to attracting high-income tourists. What are EXPANSION INTO plosion in energy costs, the negative effects of which we
by way of example, that just 2 years ago (in 2020) we Is there anything that has remained high on the priori- in the future? the goals in this regard, and how do they relate to the can’t even measure just yet. As a result, crisis manage-
won the international tender for exclusively servicing ties of Goldair Handling’s management over the years? Regarding the domestic market, our goal is to transition current development of major infrastructure projects INDIA, A MARKET ment has become the new norm for many companies,
passengers with disabilities at Zurich airport, in which, Sustainable development and extroversion continue to our operations to the “green” era, using technological such as the Ellinikon or the Vouliagmeni marina? WITH EXCELLENT which of course isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it forces
the company that had provided this service for the last be are our main priorities. A healthy company has to be applications that will simplify the daily lives of users as We have seen quality tourism consistently developing in a company to shield itself from unforeseen situations,
12 years was also bidding for the contract. So we were able to provide sustainable employment opportunities. well as strengthen the competitiveness of our services. At our country in general. This has taken place in Athens GROWTH PROSPECTS through prudent management, avoiding high risk and
overjoyed when we were informed that in the recent We have progressed from being a company with a few the same time, and in collaboration with the Greek air- in particular, which has resulted from the coordinat- continuously adapting. Therefore, adaptability and
Skytrax awards for the provision of services for the dozen employees 23 years ago to currently employing port operators (AIA, Fraport Greece), we are preparing ed efforts of many private and public agencies such as THAT SOLIDIFIES OUR realism are my two main “beliefs” in the times we are
disabled worldwide, Zurich Airport was voted the 1st almost 4,000 people. In Greece, we currently employ significant investments in “green” ground equipment, Municipality of Athens, AIA “El. Venizelos”, Aegean going through.
European airport and 5th globally. This distinction 3,200 employees, which is especially significant in light with a 7-year horizon, with the end aim of assisting the Airlines, the Association of Greek Tourism Enterpris- TRANSITION FROM A Is ‘thinking outside the box’ part of your manage-
is particularly important for us as it is the passengers of the 2 difficult years of the pandemic, but also in an airports’ zero carbon footprint goals by 2025. es and other agencies promoting Athens, not only as a ment style?
themselves who vote in the process. institutional sense, as we recently concluded the collec- Regarding our international presence, we are excited city-break destination, but as a 12-month destination. REGIONAL COMPANY This business doesn’t really allow for that. The reality
What does Goldair Handling offer premium travelers? tive labor agreement with the employees’ association. about our recent expansion into India, a market with However, as you also know demanding tourists want is that we operate within strict institutional and oper-
Services provided to passengers, both by the airlines and What are the Greek aviation sector’s prospects now excellent growth prospects that solidifies our transition more than just flying business or first class or upgraded TO AN INTERNATIONAL ational frameworks that are defined by Community
by ground service operators on the ground are expand- that tourism is once again gaining momentum? from a regional company to an international ground airport services. They want to live the travel experience GROUND HANDLING directives and implemented by the competent domestic
ing every year, based on the one hand on technology, The data are extremely optimistic, regarding tourist traf- handling organization, which allows us to transfer to the maximum, with good transportation, quality ac- authorities. We have to fully comply with EU and do-
and on the other, on the airports’ infrastructures. In fic in general, and airline passenger traffic in particular. our know-how as well as the principles of Greek hos- commodation, cultural experiences, gastronomy and a ORGANIZATION." mestic law which limits several thoughts and practices
regards to infrastructure, Greece was at a comparative We are seeing a significant recovery in air traffic, com- pitality to developing airports in Asia. Our further ex- feeling of security that will not only make them want to that may initially sound innovative and pioneering, but
disadvantage for many years, which initially improved pared to the record year in 2019; we expected to see this pansion into additional Indian airports, but also our re-visit the destination, but render them actual ambas- in practice are not supported nor provided for by the
with the opening of Athens International Airport “El. recovery in 2023 or 2024 and not this season. Demand firm belief that we can contribute substantially to the sadors of Greek culture and hospitality. In this context, current legislation. 

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