PRESS RELEASES
05 MARCH 2018
AIA’s 18th Airline Marketing Workshop
«The PairFUME of the Athenian Spring» 
 
Athens International Airport awards airlines for their development in 2017
 
 
With the “Pairfume” of the aviation and tourism “Athenian Spring” already…in the air, the 18th Airline Marketing Workshop was once again organized on March 1st by the Athens International Airport! 
 
Under the title “The PairFUME of the Athenian Spring”, 250 guests had the opportunity to follow a rich agenda of topics, serving, as every year, as an ideal platform for a substantial “family” dialogue among the airport and its key partners. At the Zappeion Megaro in the centre of Athens, speakers and AIA representatives composed a rich agenda including the following topics:
  • Athens market overview 2017
  • Trends shaping visitor demand in 2018: Focus on Athens / Peter Jordan, Head of Insights, Toposophy
  • “Wanderlust Athens”: The new innovative social media campaign for Athens, an AIA & Marketing Greece initiative / Ioanna Dretta, CEO, Marketing Greece
  • The Airport as a #Hub of Stories: The airport’s next digital step, stories of everyday passengers in the framework of “Athens: 2018 UNESCO World Book Capital” / Thodoris Georgakopoulos, Journalist – Writer
  • Dreams Soar: Shaesta Waiz’s amazing global solo flight for STEM
  • Let’s talk Customer Experience / John Young, CEO, JCY Associates, Marketing & Consumer Behaviour
  • Art of the Possible: Innovation & Technology across Aviation / Houman Goudarzi, Manager, Innovation, IATA
 
Inspired by this year’s “PairFume” slogan, airline representatives had the chance to vote their favourite “Athens Spring aromas”, thus composing and creating a new, unique fragrance, the “Athens Aroma”!
 
Finally, Athens International Airport CEO, Yiannis Paraschis, concluded the workshop with the closing credits dedicated to the course that led to the very positive 2017 track record and the 2018 positive prospects, highlighting the exceptional cooperation and efforts of the entire airport community.
 
Moreover, as every year, Athens International Airport also presented its annual awards to the airlines that achieved the fastest development and the highest increases in passenger volumes in their scheduled services during 2017. 
 
This year’s airline awards, as per respective category, were the following:
  
A. Best of the TOP-10 Airlines Award in 2017
 
Sky Express was awarded as the overall fastest growing airline operating at AIA in 2017, among the 10 airlines that recorded the highest passenger traffic volumes. 
 
Β. Fastest Growing Airline Award per geographical region (Highest percentage passenger growth, 2017 /2016).
 
Sky Express was awarded as the fastest growing airline in the domestic sector.
      Olympic Air was highly commended. 
 
   Pegasus Airlines was awarded as the fastest growing airline for Western Europe while Austrian Airlines was highly commended.
 
Ryanair was awarded as the fastest growing airline for Eastern Europe while Aeroflot was highly commended.
 
Middle East Airlines was awarded as the fastest growing airline for the Middle East while Emirates was highly commended.
 
Aegean Airlines was awarded as the fastest growing airline for Africa while Egypt Air was highly commended.
 
Air China was awarded as the fastest growing airline for Asia. 
 
   Emirates was awarded as the fastest growing airline for America while Air Canada was highly commended.
 
C. Fastest Growing Airline - Seasonal Route
 
Croatia Airlines received the award for achieving the highest percentage annual passenger growth in summer 2017, while Air Baltic was highly commended. 
 
D. Best New Entrant Performance Award
 
Cobalt was awarded for recording the highest passenger traffic numbers, among all new comers
 
Ε.  Fastest Growing Airline - Thin Route Award
 
Royal Jordanian received the award for achieving the highest percentage annual passenger growth in 2017.
 
F. Overall Traffic Development Award
 
   Aegean Airlines was awarded for presenting the highest passenger volumes increase at Athens International Airport in 2017.  
Also:
 
   Aegean Airlines was awarded as the favourite airline for 2017 among the European passengers using the Athens International Airport (source: AIA official annual survey).
 
   Emirates was awarded as the favourite airline for 2017 among the non-European passengers using the Athens International Airport (source: AIA official annual survey).
 
On the occasion of AIA’s 18th Airline Marketing Workshop, Ioanna Papadopoulou, Director, Communications & Marketing, pointed out: 
 
“It was our utmost pleasure to welcome our airline partners this year as well, at the Athens International Airport’s 18th Airline Marketing Workshop.  This year’s Workshop “dispersed the aroma” of innovation and successful synergies aiming at enhancing the image and the connectivity of Athens.
That was indeed the main theme and the true essence of this year’s gathering, which reflects our philosophy of partnership and cooperation towards a common and mutually beneficial course. This year’s venue, the Zappeion Megaro in the heart of the city, was indeed an ideal spot for us to present our strategic and targeted actions. 
 
Once more, we would like to sincerely thank our airline partners and re-affirm our commitment to keep supporting them in the same spirit of substantial collaboration.”
 
 
 
AIA Press Office
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