On the occasion of their second anniversary of operation to Athens, the German low cost carrier Germanwings baptised today their first airplane. On June 18th, 2003, Germanwings landed in Athens for the first time, departing from Cologne.

More than 200 guests were invited today to take part in the celebration at "Eleftherios Venizelos" Airport. Mr. Alfred van der Meer, CEO of Athens International Airport and host of the event, mentioned the excellent cooperation between the German carrier and the Airport. "We are delighted", said Mr. Van der Meer, "to celebrate with Germanwings the carrier's 2nd anniversary in Athens. We congratulate Germanwings on developing into one of the fastest growing airlines at this Airport, with a significant contribution in incoming tourism. We are looking forward to welcoming more Germanwings flights at Athens International Airport".

The Mayor of Athens, Mrs. Dora Bakojannis, has just unveiled the name of Germanwings Airbus A 319 "City of Athens"	AIA's Fire Brigade vehicles salute the departure of "City of Athens" with a water archway	Exchanging gifts before the ceremony: From left to right, Mrs. Dora Bakojannis, Mayor of Athens, Mr. Karl-Heinz Hilgers, Member of the Management of Germanwings, and Mr. Alfred van der Meer, CEO of Athens International Airport

"This is the first time that Germanwings has given a name to one of their airplanes", Mr. Karl-Heinz Hilgers, Member of the Management of Germanwings, stated today at Athens International Airport. "We have decided to give this plane the name "City of Athens", as Athens plays a key role within Europe as a historic cultural metropolis on one side, and an upcoming modern European city with impressive developments during the last year on the other side", he continued. "The image and attractivity of Athens, the City hosting the first and the latest Olympic Games, have improved incredibly, and we are proud that Mrs Dora Bakojannis, Mayor of this European Capital, the City of Athens, honours this event and will unveil officially the name of the Germanwings Airbus", Mr. Hilgers said. "The ties between Greece and Germany are strong and we are close friends", Mr. Hilgers added. On board this special flight 4U 983 today from Athens back to Cologne a Greek flight attendant, Mrs. Martha Mantopoulou, was serving the guests. This baptism is the first and will be followed by further baptism celebrations, when more Germanwings aircraft will be named after well selected European cities. The names City of London, City of Paris, City of Rome and City of Zurich are planned to follow.

Mr. Hilgers also emphasised the excellent cooperation with Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos throughout their two years of operation to the Greek capital. "This event would not have been possible without the great support of Mr. van der Meer and his teams", he stated. Furthermore he thanked Germanwings business partners Goldair Handling and the Germanwings Call Centre in Athens for their excellent job and their contribution to having developed Germanwings into a favourite low-cost Airline from and to Greece.

Mrs Dora Bakojannis, Mayor of the City of Athens, expressed her pleasure to name the Airbus after Europe's most ancient capital, symbolising the close relation between the people of Greece and Germany. "It is a great honour for me to become godmother of this Germanwings Airbus A 319", she said. "Every year, thousands of Germans visit our country, either due to business or due to vacations", she continued, "and Germanwings as one of Europe's largest low cost airline contribute impressively to the annual increase of visitors to our city."


Germanwings operates 14 times weekly between Greece and Germany.