The prospect of Ryanair leaving Thessaloniki has galvanized local stakeholders, who are seeking immediate answers about the future of the base.
A climate of concern prevails among local government and tourist stakeholders in the capital city, following reports of the possible closure of Ryanair’s base at Macedonia Airport.
At the order of the mayor of Thessaloniki, Stelios Angeloudis, a meeting was convened emergency working meeting was convened this morning in order to assess the impact of a possible reduction of flight operations on the city’s economy.
The mobilization was attended by tourism deputy regional governor, Vicky Hadjivassiliou, and representatives of the Tourism Organisation of Thessaloniki, while there was direct coordination with the Secretary General of the Greek National Tourism Organisation, Andreas Fiorentino.
According to the current schedule:
- A critical teleconference between the municipal authority and senior executives of the Irish company has been set for tomorrow, Tuesday 6 May.
- A formal update is expected from Fraport on the status of the charges and the terms of the partnership between them.
- A letter of information has already been sent to the Minister of Tourism, Olga Kefalogianni.
As thestival.gr’s report states, Mr. Angeloudis is seeking to ascertain the company’s true intentions, as the loss of the base would be a serious blow to the international connectivity of Northern Greece. City stakeholders are due to return with a new, expanded meeting by the end of the week, aiming for a unified stance on the developments.
