Επιστολή της AOPA Hellas στον κ. Μαραγκάκη, COO της Fraport Greece

 

 

Dear Mr. Maragakis,

Herewith, we would like to inform you that AOPA Hellas is still receiving numerous complaints from General Aviation (GA) pilots from all over Europe, regarding the fees and the practices they must deal with at the FRAPORT operated airports in Greece.

This year, more than ever, and even under the COVID situation downsizing the "traffic", we received numerous complaints and serious allegations about practices that literally PREVENTED individual people/families/crews/and visitors to fly in Greece!

 

Most complaints refer to the availability of GA parking spaces at your airports. This, in turn, highlights the problem of PPRs, which cannot be issued “due to lack of parking space”.

 

The rest of the complaints refer to the enormous landing and parking fees which, as it has been repeatedly revealed in our previous correspondence, are more than twice the value/cost found in some of the busiest and most well-established hub airports in Europe, like the airport of Geneva, and yet without any comparison in terms of the value of the services offered (Avgas fuel, ample GA parking space, GA terminals, etc.). It is absurd to contemplate that the landing/parking of a light aircraft in Geneva airport is cheaper than in Mykonos, Santorini, Skiathos, Zakynthos and Kefalonia for example!

 

On behalf of the GA community both in Greece and in EU, AOPA Hellas is asking FRAPORT Greece to take action on the following:

 

  1. THE PARKING SPACE

Please allocate GA parking space for light GA aircraft and make use of the airports’ unexploited real estate to accommodate light aircraft, like in all other proper airports in Europe.

 

There is a lot of AIRSIDE space at your airports' aprons occupied by equipment (buses, ladders, trolleys, etc.) used by the HANDLERS. There needs to be a solution, where/when some of this equipment can be stored LANDSIDE when not needed on a daily basis. The freed areas will generate GA parking space similarly in various other big unexploited areas with bushes and/or gravel within the airport’s real estate.

 

In European airports, it is common and widely accepted, even at very large Hubs, that light GA aircraft can safely and securely park at any assigned area of an airport even at the gravel areas away from the hard surface apron. Light GA can even park at a much more compressed manner because light GA aircraft can be towed by pilot with their tow bars manually, in a safe, quick and efficient manner. Fraport Greece appears to be unaware of such practices, commonly performed globally.

 

In European airports and in all modern airports around the world, it is common practice that private GA light aircraft and commercial airliners co-exist harmoniously without being mutually exclusive. Maximization of your profit shall not be hindered by light GA operations, if proper management operational practices are followed.

 

  1. LANDING/PARKING FEES

We are asking you to adjust the landing and parking fees in such a manner that they are aligned with those of other European regional airports offering similar value of services. An extended weekend’s parking at a FRAPORT Greece airport is far more expensive than in any other similar European Airport. The charge for a daily landing/parking fee is comparatively extremely expensive.

 

In your Concession Agreement with the Greek state, signed on 14/12/2015 and passed by law Ν. 4389/2016 articles 215 and 216 mention:

Article 28.8.2 (freely translated) Airport charges should not be levied in such a way that discourage the use of facilities and services required for the safety and protection of flight.

 

We get tremendous pressure from European GA pilots/owners on the above two issues, while it is obvious that the end losers are the GA pilots, the Greek taxpayer, the Greek high-end tourism industry, and the country’s reputation in tourism. Despite our previous meetings, it is noted that almost nothing has been improved on any fronts since 2019.

 

As AOPA Hellas and in coordination with other GA organizations, we are obliged by our constitution to serve the interests of the European GA community. Therefore, we would appreciate that by the end of October 2021, FRAPORT Greece provides us with specific actions and drastic measures with their due dates for application for the very near future to relieve GA from those burdens.

 

If there are no timely and "tangible" actions from FRAPORT Greece at this time, AOPA Hellas will pursue the interests of the GA community by leveraging any reasonable method towards the resolution of this problem.

 

It clearly damages our country’s interests for growth. If we conclude that we two can't come to a mutual understanding, as stakeholders in Greece, we will inevitably need to communicate directly with FRAPORT Senior Management in Europe, with IAOPA EU, EASA authorities and with the government, in order to discuss resolutions.

 

 

Respectfully,

 
   

 

 

Kyprianos Biris

President AOPA Hellas
biris@aopa.gr
www.aopa.gr