Many water airports are nearing the final stages of licensing, yet investor interest in the Greek Riviera remains high. Last week, the President and CEO of Hellenic Seaplanes, Nicolas Charalambous, along with private investor Dimitrios Rigas, visited the Peloponnese Region and the Municipality of Ermionida, emphasizing the interest of Hellenic Seaplanes in the Ermionida water airport.
During a meeting with the Deputy Regional Governor of Peloponnese, Mr. Ganos, and the Mayor of Ermionida, Mr. Ioannis Georgopoulos, discussions were held regarding the design and development of a water airport, with only the open tender process remaining to identify the entity responsible for construction and operation. The Deputy Regional Governor of Peloponnese, Mr. Ganos, noted: “The Region has already prepared the procedures for 4 water airports and 2 water fields in the Peloponnese, and we expect, I believe it will be a matter of days, to begin the licensing process… These include the water airports of Ermionida, Gythio, Kyparissia, and Monemvasia, as well as the water fields in Paralio Astros and Elafonisos. We believe that the Peloponnese network will contribute to the tourism and overall economic development of the wider region. The benefits for society and tourism will be significant, without excluding other types of transport, such as business activities, emergency medical evacuations, search and rescue missions, etc.”
The Mayor of Ermionida, in a related statement, said: “Ermionida is gaining an alternative means of passenger transport with sea planes, which can cover a wide range of services such as: scheduled flights, chartered flights, scenic flights, transport services, air medical evacuations, transfers to resorts, cruise ships. The operation of sea planes provides a solution to the connectivity issues of the coastal areas of our country and will evolve into a development driver for Greece. Its impact will extend across a wide range of social and economic activities, such as enhancing the tourism product and improving the quality of transportation for residents of coastal settlements, connecting difficult-to-reach destinations, as well as creating many jobs, etc.”
Mr. Rigas, who has also invested in the Skyros water airport, added: “The Ermionida water airport at the port of Kialada is of particular interest to us due to other investments we have in the area, and we wish to construct and operate it… Beyond facilitating and expanding the accessibility of tourist areas, sea planes address the urgent and emergency transportation needs such as patient air evacuations, search and rescue, and cargo transport (medications, food, press, etc.). We are talking about an innovative project that, in addition to facilitating, will also create new jobs for the local community, which is very important in these times. Sea planes have arrived to stay, and we are confident that their value will soon be recognized.”
According to the President and CEO of Hellenic Seaplanes, Nicolas Charalambous, “The optimistic scenario is that, provided there are no issues, we expect to have the water airport operational by the end of this year, assuming the tender process proceeds swiftly.”
