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Bargain air carrier,
EasyJet, has announced its purchase of GB Airways, the Gatwick-based airline
operating to destinations across Southern Europe, including Crete, under a
franchise agreement with British Airways.
With the purchase,
local observers have expressed optimism that Crete will now be served by an
increased schedule of low-cost flights on an year-round basis.
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Currently, there are
no direct flights from Great Britain, or any other country, to Crete during
the off-season. Travellers are required to fly to Athens, then change
planes for the rest of the trip to Iraklion.
A spokeswoman for
EasyJet, however, refused to comment on any future scheduling to Iraklion
Airport.
"GB airways will
continue to operate – business as usual – until 29 March 2008," the
spokeswoman told The Khronicles. "After this date, the operation will
continue under the EasyJet name. At that time, the airline will be in a
position to make long term decisions about specific routes, and EasyJet will
contact all passengers due to travel after 29 March to advise if there are
any changes."
Presently, GB Airways
serves 31 destinations and operates 15 Airbus aircraft, which are
complementary to the EasyJet fleet of 107 aircraft. In total it operates 39
routes – 28 from Gatwick, six from Manchester, five from Heathrow. |
