Briefing and review meeting of Fraport Greece with the tourism operators of Corfu

A meeting and open discussion of Fraport Greece executives with representatives of the local government, the Professional and Commercial Associations of the prefecture of Corfu and the Region of Ionian Islands, as well as representatives of the local media, took place on Wednesday 26 October 2022 in the city of Corfu.

The meeting, an initiative of Fraport Greece, was set within the framework of the regular meetings of the management company of Corfu Airport "Ioannis Kapodistrias" with local stakeholders and partners. The subject of the meeting was the operation, progress and development of Corfu Airport, its sustainable development and its contribution to the upgrading of the tourism product.

During the open discussion, the issues that mainly concerned the participants were the rearrangement of the external areas of the airport in order to better serve the increased tourist traffic and the professionals who perform transport work, the coordination of agencies, municipal authorities and Fraport Greece for the next summer season, as well as ideas for the digital transition of services to visitors.

In particular, Mr. Alexander Zinell, CEO of Fraport Greece, noted in his address: “Corfu Airport has managed to rank among the airports with the highest growth in visitor numbers in Greece this year. A success that gives us great satisfaction, but also the responsibility to participate together with local stakeholders in planning for the future of tourism on the island, in terms of sustainability and respect for the place. While we applaud the increase of passengers to Corfu, we are well aware that we are testing the limits of existing public infrastructure. More investment is urgently needed in order to align existing networks (i.e. roads, electricity, water, sewage, waste management) with increased demand. Supporting sustainable growth and socially responsible behavior are basic principles of Fraport Greece.”

Mr. George Vilos, Executive Director of Commercial & Business Development of Fraport Greece, presented to the attending stakeholders the development of passenger traffic for the period 2017-2022, focusing on the excellent performance of Corfu Airport "Ioannis Kapodistrias" this year, as a result of both the new and upgraded infrastructure and the continuous efforts made in the field of attracting new routes and airlines. Furthermore, he stressed the crucial importance of the fruitful and substantial cooperation between all local stakeholders in the tourism sector in order to maintain and enhance the attractiveness of Corfu even more, given the intense competition between the various destinations of the wider Mediterranean region. Finally, particular reference was made to the overall upgrading of the travel experience at Corfu airport as a result of the new and high-quality commercial services now available to the travelling public.

Mr. Panagiotis Spyratos, Chief Operations Officer of Fraport Greece, referred to the operational readiness of the airport in terms of safety, quality and speed of passenger service, making special reference to this year's tourist season, during which passenger traffic was high, while he announced the new upgrade projects that will take place over two years and involve the total reconstruction of the runway.