A Greek parliamentary committee approved a finance ministry bill on Tuesday that will provide 177.9 million euros to 14 regional airports managed by Germany-based Fraport.
The bill ratifies an agreement between the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF) and Fraport for aid compensating for losses due to restrictive coronavirus measures.
Ruling New Democracy supported it, main opposition Syriza-Progressive Alliance and Movement for Change (KINAL) reserved judgment for the plenary debate, and the Greek Communist Party, Greek Solution and MeRA25 rejected the bill.
Finance Minister Christos Staikouras met with party representatives at his office to provide information before the committee's decision.
"Passenger traffic dropped globally at airports, while in Greece in particular it fell in 2020 by 70.5% compared to the same time in 2019," and by 72.1% in terms of the country's economic model forecast, he said. Similar initiatives have been undertaken by governments in several European and non-European countries, he asserted.
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