Greece’s largest airline, Aegean Airlines, announced that it was suspending all of its international flights beginning on March 26 in an effort to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The company’s new measures also include flight restrictions in most countries served by its network.
“Given the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, travel restrictions imposed by Greece, EU and other states, as well as the newly adapted measures for the restriction of unnecessary movements in Greece, AEGEAN is obliged to proceed with the temporary suspension of its international flights, as of March 26. This decision stems from the commitment of the company to ensure the safety and well-being of both passengers and employees, as well as to support the sustainability of its operations,” the airline said in a statement.
Airlines around the world are cutting flights as civil aviation authorities impose restrictions and countries close borders and impose lockdowns to try to curtail the spread of the coronavirus.
Greek authorities suspended flights from the United Kingdom and Turkey to curb the spread of the virus, as a lockdown went into effect after the country saw its largest single-day jump in confirmed coronavirus cases on Sunday, a rise of 94 infections to 624, while fatalities increased to 15.
Aegean Airlines said it will continue to operate a small number of flights to Brussels from Athens to maintain connectivity with the EU’s administrative centre.
The airline said that if asked by authorities it will conduct special flights to repatriate Greek citizens as it has done recently, flying Greeks back home from London, Spain, Morocco, Poland, Serbia and the Czech Republic.
The airline will continue to operate domestic flights but at lower frequencies, it said in an announcement.
