Air traffic controllers' strike confirmed for 19 & 20/10/2011 - now 12 hrs strike

According to an updated NOTAM, the strike will be valid for only 12 hours - beginning 00:00 tonight and ending tomorrow 12:00 afternoon (local Greece times). All operations after this 12 hour period will return to normal both at all greek airports and greek air space. (Source)

Air traffic controllers confirmed their participation in the 48 hrs strike of next Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 October. (Source).

UPDATE 17/10/2011
Easyjet has begun offering free transfer for their Greece's flights during the strike period. EZY7267/68 Liverpool-Rhodes-Liverpool, EZY8789/90 Gatwick-Rhodes-Gatwick and EZY8791/92 Gatwick-Rhodes-Gatwick are the flights to/from Rhodes affected for Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 October. You can find more details as well as instructions on their website.

UPDATE 18/10/2011
Please do not take into account the below information as the change in strike duration will bring updates. We will try to update as soon as new info is available but do visit airlines' websites regurarly too.

FLIGHT DISRUPTIONS FOR WED 19  OCTOBER
DOMESTIC AIRLINES
Aegean Airlines (press release) 
Cancells: All flights to/from Rhodes except A3651/654 Athens-Rhodes-Athens-Rome-Athens
Alters schedule: -

Olympic Air (press release) 
Cancells: All flights to/from Rhodes except OA714/715 Athens-Rhodes-Athens
OA870/871 Thessaloniki-Rhodes-Thessaloniki
OA034/035 Rhodes-Kos-Leros-Astypalaia-Leros-Kos-Rhodes
Alters schedule: -

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES
Airberlin (press release) 
Cancells: -
Alters schedule: -

Easyjet (press release)
Cancells: -
Alters schedule: EZY8791/92 Gatwick-Rhodes-Gatwick-->new time: dep. Gatwick 18.55, dep. RHO 01.45  back to original time schedule: dep Gatwick 14:55, dep RHO 21:45


Monarch (press release)
Cancells: -
Alters schedule: -

Ryanair (press release)
Cancells: -
Alters schedule: -

Thomas Cook (press release) 
Cancells: -
Alters schedule: -

Thomson Airways (press release) 
Cancells: -
Alters schedule: -   

TUIfly (press release)
Cancells: -
Alters schedule: -

UPDATE 19/10/2011
Airberlin and TUI, according to their websites, have re-scheduled flights for tomorrow based on the initial 48 hrs strike and have chosen to keep their schedules this way. Moreover, Aegean and Olympic will operate tomorrow on reduced scale-again. 

FLIGHT DISRUPTIONS FOR THU 20  OCTOBER
DOMESTIC AIRLINES
Aegean Airlines (press release) 
Cancells: All flights to/from Rhodes except A3200/650/651 Athens-Rhodes-Athens-Rome-Athens
A3216/217 Athens-Rhodes-Athens
A3722/723 Thessaloniki-Rhodes-Thessaloniki
Alters schedule: -

Olympic Air (press release) 
Cancells: All flights to/from Rhodes except OA706/707 Athens-Rhodes-Athens
OA714/715 Athens-Rhodes-Athens
OA870/871 Thessaloniki-Rhodes-Thessaloniki
OA876/877 Rhodes-Heraklion-Rhodes
as well as all PSO routes scheduled for Thursday
Alters schedule: -

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES
Airberlin (press release) 
Cancells: -
Alters schedule: AB 2142 Nuremberg - Rhodos-->New departure time 21.10.2011 04:50
AB 2777 Rhodos - Erfurt-->New departure time 21.10.2011 10:10
AB 2776 Erfurt - Paderborn-->New departure time 21.10.2011 13:00
AB 2776 Paderborn - Rhodos-->New departure time 21.10.2011 14:20
AB 2143 Rhodos - Nuremberg-->New departure time 21.10.2011 19:15
AB 3006 Düsseldorf - Rhodos-->New departure time 21.10.2011 05:50
AB 3007 Rhodos - Düsseldorf-->New departure time 21.10.2011 10:55
AB 2584 Dresden - Rhodos-->New departure time 20.10.2011 22:55
AB 2585 Rhodos - Dresden-->New departure time 21.10.2011 03:30

TUIfly (press release)
Cancells: -
Alters schedule: New departure times for the below listed flights:
X3 4262/63 Frankfurt-Rhodes-Frankfurt
X3 4244/45 Cologne-Rhodes-Cologne
X3 4588/89 Dusseldorf-Rhodes-Dusseldorf
X3 4412/13 Nuremberg-Rhodes-Nuremberg
X3 4312/13 Hannover-Rhodes-Hannover
X3 4332/33 Berlin Tegel-Rhodes-Berlin Tegel
X3 4706/07 Stuttgart-Rhodes-Stuttgart
X3 4292/93 Munich-Rhodes-Munich
X3 4510/11 Zweibrucken-Rhodes-Zweibrucken

Air traffic controllers' strike pending for 19/10/2011

Public and private sector labor unions have called for a general strike on Wednesday 19 October 2011. As far as air travel, there is no news till now regarding air traffic controllers intentions. We will update whenever official announcements are made.

Please note that Greece is and will be on a strike fever till next Wednesday's "big" strike with major disruptions in public transportation and taxis. The situation here in Rhodes is at the moment quiet but if disruptions occur we will try to update on time.

UPDATE 13/10/2011

Today, the ADEDY union announced that the proclaimed 24 hrs strike for Wednesday 19 October will be expanded to a 48 hrs strike, on Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 October.

UPDATE 14/10/2011

According to nationwide media, air traffic controllers will participate in the 48 hrs strike of 19 &20 October.
We, though, expect the official confirmation from the unions.

Latest news #4

AEGEAN CHARTER FLIGHTS SOON?

Two months ago we stated that Aegean Air was examining the possibility of expanding their services from Rhodes targeting the tourism market.
Well, it seems that the time has come and according to a tourism related source they are very close in introducing charter flights to Istanbul, Turkey. Moreover, rumors say that there will be more destinations for charter flights.  What it remains to be verified is that these flights will offer the capability of individuals bookings.

RUSSIAN AIRLINE TO ESTABLISH A BASE @ RHO?

According to a local newspaper, a russian airline is very likely to establish a base at Rhodes airport in order to serve the tourism market. The story also states that the airline is in negotiations with various tourism organizations of Western Europe in order to secure contracts and that by late March they expect to base an aircraft here and commence operations targeting for year round flights.





COSTA FINALIZED THEIR DEAL WITH RHODES

Costa Cruises announced their next summer schedule which includes 23 cruises utilizing Rhodes as a homeport. The inagural cruise takes place on Thursday 28 June and is a 7-day cruise from Rhodes to Heraklion, Kos, Samos, Izmir, Mykonos, Santorini and back to Rhodes, priced at E989,00. From 13 September the cruise alters schedule becoming Rhodes-Heraklion-Santorini-Ashdod (Israel) -Limassol-Alanya (Turkey)-Rhodes, priced at E699,00. Costa last cruise is on 18 October.

"Diagoras" Airport Network - International destinations (Summer 2012)

A-Z List by Country
ALBANIA

- Tirana (Belle Air)

AUSTRIA

- Graz (Flyniki, Lauda Air)

- Linz (Flyniki, Lauda Air)

- Salzburg (Flyniki)

- Vienna (Flyniki, Lauda Air)

BELGIUM

- Brussels (Jetairfly, Thomas Cook Belgium)

- Brussels/Charleroi (Jetairfly, Ryanair)

- Liege (Jetairfly, Thomas Cook Belgium) 
- Ostend (Jetairfly)
CYPRUS

 - Larnaca (Aegean, Cyprus Airways) 
CZECH REP.

- Brno (Smartwings)
- Ostrava (Smartwings)
- Pardubice (Smartwings)
- Prague (Smartwings)

DENMARK

- Copenhagen (Norwegian)

FINLAND

- Helsinki (Air Finland, Norwegian)
FRANCE

- Paris Orly (Easyjet, Transavia)

GERMANY

- Berlin/Brandenburg (Condor, Easyjet, TUIfly)

- Berlin/Tegel (Airberlin, TUIfly)

- Berlin/Schoenefeld (Condor)

- Bremen (TUIfly)

- Cologne (Germanwings, TUIfly)

- Dresden (Airberlin, TUIfly)

- Dusseldorf (Condor, TUIfly)

- Dusseldorf/Weeze (Ryanair)

- Frankfurt (Airberlin, Condor, TUIfly)

- Frankfurt/Hahn (Ryanair)

- Friedrichshafen (TUIfly)

- Hamburg (Condor, TUIfly)

- Hanover (Condor, TUIfly)

- Karlsruhe (TUIfly)

- Leipzig/Halle (Condor, TUIfly)

- Munich (Airberlin, Condor, TUIfly)

- Munster (TUIfly)

- Nuremberg (Airberlin, TUIfly)

- Paderborn (Condor)

- Stuttgart (Condor, TUIfly)

- Zweibrucken (TUIfly)

HUNGARY

- Budapest (Malev, Ryanair, Smartwings, Wizz Air)

ITALY

- Bologna (Ryanair)
- Catania (Blu-express)

- Milan/Bergamo (Ryanair)

- Milan/Malpensa (Air One, Easyjet)

- Pisa (Ryanair)

- Rome/Ciampino (Ryanair)
- Rome/Fiumicino (Alitalia, Blu-express)
- Venice (Volotea)

LITHUANIA

- Kaunas (Ryanair)

LUXEMBOURG

- Luxembourg (Luxair)

NETHERLANDS

- Amsterdam (Corendon Airlines, Transavia)

NORWAY

- Oslo (Norwegian)

RUSSIA

- Moscow/Domodedovo (Aegean)

SWEDEN

- Stockholm/Arlanda (Norwegian)

- Stockholm/Skavsta (Ryanair)

SWITZERLAND

- Basel (Airberlin, TUIfly)

- Geneva (Edelweiss/Swiss Air)

- Zurich (Airberlin, Edelweiss/Swiss Air)
TURKEY (pending verification)

- Istanbul (Bluebird Airways)

UK

- Birmingham (Thomas Cook, Thomson, Tor Air)

- Bournemouth (Ryanair, Thomson)

- Bristol (Thomas Cook, Thomson)

- Cardiff (Thomas Cook, Thomson)

- Doncaster/Sheffield (Thomson)

- East Midlands (Jet2, Ryanair, Thomas Cook, Thomson)

- Edinburgh (Thomson)

- Glasgow (Jet2, Thomas Cook, Thomson)

- Leeds/Bradford (Jet2)

- Liverpool (Easyjet, Ryanair)

- London/Gatwick (Easyjet, Monarch, Thomas Cook, Thomson, Tor Air)

- London/Luton (Thomson)

- London/Stansted (Ryanair, Thomson)

- Manchester (Jet2, Monarch, Thomas Cook, Thomson)

- Newcastle (Jet2, Thomas Cook, Thomson)

A-Z List by Airline

- Aegean Airlines

- Airberlin Germany 

- Airberlin Switzerland
- Air Finland

- Air One

- Alitalia

- Arkefly

- Belle Air
- Blu-express
- Bluebird Airways ---> pending verification 
- British Airways ---> pending verification for individual bookings 

- Cyprus Airways
- Condor
- Corendon Airlines

- Easyjet 

- Edelweiss Air

- FlyNiki 

- Germanwings 

- Jet2

- Jetairfly

- Lauda Air
- Luxair 
- Malev (as of 3/2/2012 Malev ceased operations)

- Monarch  

- Norwegian

- Olympic Air

- Ryanair

- Sky Express
- Smartwings 

- Thomas Cook
- Thomas Cook Belgium

- Thomson Airways

- Tor Air (flights to Rhodes not avaialable since 8/2/2012)

- Transavia

- TUIfly Germany

- TUIfly Switzerland
-  Volotea

-  Wizz Air

"Diagoras" Airport Network - Domestic destinations (Summer 2012)

"Diagoras" airport offers flights to 15 domestic destinations during the summer period (end of March-end of October). Here is a list of them with the appropriate link to each airline flight schedule.

Astypalaia (JTY)*: Olympic Air

Athens (ATH): Aegean Airlines, Olympic Air

Chios (JKH)*: Sky Express 

Heraklion(HER): Cyprus Airways, Olympic Air, Sky Express

Kalymnos (JKL)*: Service Unavailable

Karpathos (AOK)*: Olympic Air 

Kasos (KSJ)*: Olympic Air 

Kastelorizo (KZS)*: Olympic Air 

Kos (KGS)*: Olympic Air 

Lemnos (LXS)*: Sky Express
Leros (LRS)*: Olympic Air

Lesvos (MJT)*: Sky Express 

Samos (SMI)*: Sky Express 

Sitia (JSH)*: Olympic Air 

Thessaloniki (SKG): Aegean Airlines, Olympic Air

* Destinations marked with red asterisk refer to PSO routes. PSO stands for Public Service Obligation flights which are funded by the Greek government thus the ticket price is fixed no matter when the booking is made. Please note that these flights are usually performed with small capacity planes so finding seats during busy periods (Easter, high season i.e.) might be difficult.

Disruptions due to bad weather

The weather in Rhodes is bad and since last night heavy winds occur from time to time which means that Rhodes airport operations might be affected. In fact, both 10 o' clock flights of Aegean and Olympic from Athens are currently delayed.
The weather forecast is not so optimistic for today as rain and heavy winds are very probable till afternoon.

Update
Weather conditions have improved but seems like air traffic controllers are working by the book again. Ryanair has cancelled 3 flights to Rhodes from Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Milan.