In response to the conditions created by the recent fire on the island of Rhodes, Christos Staikouras, the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, held a crucial meeting with key stakeholders to ensure the smooth operation of "Diagoras" Airport.
With the airport experiencing heightened passenger traffic during the peak of the tourist season and also serving aerial firefighting flights, measures were urgently required to address the situation.
In collaboration with Mr Spyrato, the General Director of Operations of Fraport, Mr Psaro, the president of the Union of Air Traffic Controllers of Greece, and representatives of foreign airlines, the Minister focused on facilitating passengers and enhancing airport operations.
During the previous day, Saturday, the airport witnessed 356 movements, catering to 50,000 passengers, while on Sunday until 16:00, there were already 165 movements with 20,000 passengers. The number of passengers is expected to more than double in the coming hours, creating additional challenges for the airport.
The next flights are planned in cooperation with the two companies that handle the largest volume of passengers in Rhodes, TUI and Jet2.
To alleviate the situation and ensure the smooth flow of operations, several measures were agreed upon in the meeting:
- Scheduling 14 flights with approximately 2,700 passengers to depart until 03:00 am, with a total of 44 flights (departures and arrivals) until midnight, accommodating approximately 14,500 passengers.
- Arranging repatriation flights to pick up passengers on the island.
- Establishing a Help Center staffed by embassy representatives and the Police to assist passengers with necessary travel documents.
- Providing meal vouchers to waiting passengers and arranging 300 additional seats at the airport with the support of the Municipality to cater to increased and emergency needs.
- Activating the Crisis Management Center with airline and ground service operator representatives to ensure immediate and efficient facilitation of all passengers.
- Reinforcing airport staff in coordination with ground handling operators to improve passenger service.
- Implementing all necessary measures by Air Traffic Control to ensure the orderly operation of increased flight traffic.
The Crisis Management Center at the airport will monitor the implementation of these measures, with Minister Christos Staikouras participating in person to oversee the facilitation efforts.
