Second ex Olympic Air Airbus A320 to be painted in Aegean Airlines colors (SX-OAP)

The second ex Olympic Air Airbus A320 registered SX-OAP was painted today in Aegean Airlines colors in Norwich. As the previous one, SX-OAS, this has also the "Visit Greece" website titles on the left aft part of the fuselage.

Thanks to Keith for the following photo.

Airbus A320 / SX-OAP / just painted in Aegean Airlines colors

Thanks to Paul for the following photo.

Airbus A320 / SX-OAP / last photo of SX-OAP on Olympic Air colors, moments before entering the paintshop (photo taken 17/3/2011)

Aegean Airlines Airbus A320 registered SX-OAS arrived in Athens

Ex Olympic Air Airbus A320 registered SX-OAS that is now painted on Aegean Airlines colors and additional Visit Greece website titles, arrived today in Athens from Norwich. The flight with callsign OAL006P landed at 17:45L on runway 21R. After landing the plane was parked in the Olympic Air hangar. Unfortunately the Visit Greece website titles are not on both sides (only on left side), so they are not visible on this picture.

Airbus A320 / SX-OAS / about to land on rwy 21R

ex Olympic Air A320 registered SX-OAS received Aegean Airlines colors today

Ex Olympic Air Airbus A320 registered SX-OAS received yesterday (15/3/2011) the Aegean Airlines colors, as expected. In addition to the basic Aegean Airlines livery, the Greek Tourism Organisation website (www.visitgreece.gr) is added on the aft part of the fuselage. This was probably due to a recent agreement that Aegean Airlines and the Greek Tourism Organisation signed in order to promote Greece to the destinations that are served by the airline.

Thanks to Keith for the following photo.

Airbus A320 / SX-OAS / just received its new colors in Norwich

Olympic Air Airbus A320 registered SX-OAS departed to Norwich to be painted

Olympic Air Airbus A320 registered SX-OAS (c/n 4094), departed today around 7am as OA003P for NWI (Norwich, UK) where it will be painted to its new colors and delivered to a new customer, who will be, according to some sources, their "competitor" in Greece -Aegean Airlines-. According to a latest Olympic Air press statement, 6 Airbus planes will leave their fleet very soon. Sources say that 3 or maybe 4 of them, will go to Aegean Airlines.

Thanks to Keith for the following photo.

Airbus A320 / SX-OAS / a few minutes before entering the Air Livery hangar in Norwich

Olympic Air took delivery of Airbus A320 registered SX-OAM in Athens

Olympic Air took delivery of another Airbus A320 today in Athens. It is registered SX-OAM (c/n 3990) and was delivered from TLS (Toulouse, France) to BOD (Bordeaux, France) where it was painted to full Olympic Air colors. It arrived tonight at 20:05L in ATH from BOD.
Thanks to Alex for the following photo.

Airbus A320 / SX-OAM / just arrived in Athens from BOD

Olympic Air Airbus A320s registered SX-OAQ and SX-OAR arrived in Athens

Olympic Air Airbus A320s registered SX-OAQ (ex F-WWBQ, c/n 3748) and SX-OAR (ex D-AVVE, c/n 3812) were ferried today from DNR (Dinard, France) to Athens. They arrived with 10 minutes separation and upon landing on runway 03R, they were towed and parked on taxiway "B". These are the first Airbus A320s that are joining the Olympic Air fleet in Athens.


Airbus A320 / SX-OAQ / arriving from DNR, about to land on rwy 03R (photo 18/9/2009)


Airbus A320 / SX-OAR / minutes after SX-OAQ, about to land on rwy 03R (photo 18/9/2009)

Olympic Air Airbus A320 registered SX-OAI at SXF

Olympic Air Airbus A320 registered VT-DNY that was parked in SXF since August 14th (see post) was reregistered to SX-OAI on September 11th. Along with SX-OAH (ex VT-DNV) they are undergoing a transition check by the local Lufthansa Technik facility in SXF, prior to delivery to Olympic Air in Athens. It is almost certain that the tail logo of those two planes will not be repainted with bigger circles, at least for now.

Thanks to Michael for the following photo.

Airbus A320 / SX-OAI / parked in SXF having its Greek registration applied last night (photo 12/9/2009)

Olympic Air startup flight schedule effective 29 September

Olympic Air, the new carrier established in Greece by Marfin Investment Group deployed today its startup schedule. Flights cover the period between 29Sep and 24Oct. The flight schedule for the winter season (effective 25Oct) will be announced through the company's new website. You can view the whole timetable here.

Routes that are abandoned are :
Domestic Network :
- Athens-Syros
- Athens-Kozani/Kastoria
- Thessaloniki-Rhodes (direct flight)
- Thessaloniki-Chania
- Thessaloniki-Heraklion
International Network :
- Thessaloniki-Istanbul
- From Athens to :
New York
Montreal/Toronto
Johannesburg
Kuwait/Dubai
Madrid
Manchester
Frankfurt
Munich
Dusseldorf
Stuttgart
Berlin
Moscow

The announced timetable requires at least 7 A319, 3 A320, 7 DH4 (one based at Thessaloniki Airport), 3 DH8 (1 based at Rhodes Airport) and 1 ATR42. It should be highlighted that the DH8s and the sole ATR will exclusively be used for PSO(Public Service Obligation) services.

There are also some flight numbering changes according to the following scheme :
- All PSO flights are renumbered (if different) between 000-099
- BEG renumbered from 385-388 to 397-398
- TIA renumbered from 117-118 to 317-318
- BEY renumbered from 313-314 to 463-464
- LCA renumbered from 329-338 to 431-438
- ALY renumbered from 327-328 to 487-488
- CAI renumbered from 325-326 to 485-486
- TLV renumbered from 301-302 to 451-452

Olympic Air Airbus A320s registered SX-OAQ and SX-OAR painted at Dinard

Two more Airbus A320s of Olympic Air got painted at DNR (Dinard, France). They are SX-OAQ (ex F-WWBQ, c/n 3748) and SX-OAR (ex D-AVVE, c/n 3812) which were ferried there from TLS (Toulouse, France) and XFW (Hamburg, Germany) respectively on August 26th. They are expected to depart in a few days from DNR.

Thanks to Nicolas.H for the following photo.

Airbus A320 / SX-OAR / just out of the paint hangar at DNR (photo 13/9/2009)

Thanks to Sylvain Gourheu for the following photos.

Airbus A320 / SX-OAR / parked outside the paint hangar in DNR (photo 27/8/2009)


Airbus A320 / SX-OAQ / parked outside the paint hangar in DNR (photo 27/8/2009)

Olympic Air second A320 registered VT-DNY (to become SX-OAI) in SXF together with SX-OAH

The second Airbus A320 of Olympic Air was ferried to SXF (Berlin, Germany) yesterday. It is currently registered VT-DNY (c/n 3162) and in a few days it will be reregistered to SX-OAI. It is an ex Air Deccan plane built in 2007. It was ferried from AUH (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) to SXF via BOM (Mumbai, India) and again AUH. It is now parked next to the first Airbus A320 of Olympic Air registered SX-OAH (ex VT-DNV, see post). A small difference in the two tail logos is visible, with the logo of VT-DNY being slightly closer to the rear of the tail.

Thanks to Michael for the following photos.

Airbus A320 / VT-DNY / parked next to SX-OAH in SXF (photo taken 14/8/2009)


Airbus A320 / SX-OAH / parked in SXF (photo taken 14/8/2009)

Vueling flight 2901 received a bomb threat in Athens

A bomb threat was made against the Vueling flight 2901 from ATH to BCN (Barcelona, Spain) today. After boarding was finished, a passenger found a note stating that there is a bomb on board. An emergency was declared and the plane was moved to a remote position (west of the bridge on taxiway "Kilo"). All 148 passengers were disembarked safely and the plane was searched but no traces of explosives were found. The plane involved is an Airbus A320 registered EC-GRH. The flight is expected to depart from Athens at 00:15L to continue to Barcelona.


Airbus A320 / EC-GRH / parked in a remote location in ATH

First Olympic Air Airbus A320 in full colors (VT-DNV)

Last updated 22/7/2009 02:00

The first Olympic Air Airbus A320 that is painted in the full company colors is an ex Air Deccan plane registered VT-DNV (c/n 3316).

Update 21/7/2009
It was ferried to SXF (Berlin, Germany) and will be reregistered to SX-OAH. Leased from Amentum Aircraft Leasing.

Update 22/7/2009
A picture from its arrival in SXF was added. See at the end of the post.

Thanks to Olympic Air (via George Pantalos) for the photo.

Airbus A320 / VT-DNV / parked in AUH (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) waiting to be ferried.

Thanks to Michael for the photo.

Airbus A320 / VT-DNV / taxiing in SXF, minutes after arrival from AUH

Boeing 727 (VP-BAB), Boeing 737-200 (OD-LMB) and Airbus A320 (YL-BBC) in Athens today

Three special visitors for today in Athens:
1) A Boeing 727-76 registered VP-BAB
2) The second Boeing 737-200 of Flying Carpet (second ever time in Athens) registered OD-LMB
3) A hybrid A320 of Smartlynx registered YL-BBC, wearing LAT Charter colors with Hellas Jet logo on engine and Smartlynx titles


Boeing 727 / VP-BAB / departing from rwy 03R for LTN (photo 6/7/2009)


Boeing 737-200 / OD-LMB / departing from rwy 03R as MED802 (photo 6/7/2009)


Airbus A320 / YL-BBC / nice hybrid with a little of Smartlynx, Hellas Jet and LAT charter on it

Aegean Airlines A320 registered SX-DVW named "Nikos Kazantzakis"

Aegean Airlines Airbus A32o registered SX-DVW got it's name written on the nose. "Nikos Kazantzakis" was given to it at a ceremony in HER (Heraklion, Greece) on May 9th 2009 but wasn't written on the plane until the last couple of days.

Airbus A321 / SX-DVO / "Nikos Kazantzakis" name added

Aegean Airlines launches flights between Athens and Istanbul

Aegean Airlines is launching flights between Athens and Istanbul effective September 9th (after 5 years of effort to acquire rights on the route, according to its CEO).

The flight schedule will be as follows :

1234567 ATH1400 - 1515IST A3970
1234567 IST1600 - 1720ATH A3971

All flights will be operated by Airbus A320

Etihad Airways start Abu Dhabi - Athens flights

Etihad Airways (EY/ETD) started today scheduled flights between AUH (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) and ATH. The flight will be operated 3 times a week (Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays) as follows:
AUH - ATH
EY 091 09:15 - 13:05 *2**5*7
ATH - AUH
EY 090 14:30 - 20:00 *2**5*7
The route is scheduled to be served by an Airbus A320 with 20 Pearl Business Class and 120 Coral Economy Class seats.


Airbus A320 / A6-EIH / inaugural flight to ATH from AUH, about to land on rwy 21L

Qatar Airways increases Doha-Athens flights

Qatar Airways plans increased frequency for the Doha-Athens route, effective 25Oct2009 (when Winter Schedule is on).
Initially, the company plans 9 frequencies per week which will gradually increase to 11.

QR472 DOH0755 - 1150ATH 13457
QR472 DOH0755 - 1150ATH 26 (eff 01Dec)
QR476 DOH1335 - 1730ATH 2567

QR473 ATH1255 - 1750DOH 13457
QR473 ATH1255 - 1750DOH 26 (eff 01Dec)
QR477 ATH1830 - 2325DOH 2567

Service operates with A319/A320/A321

Air Arabia starts Sharjah Athens flights today

Air Arabia (G9/ABY) started today its scheduled flights to Athens, the first European Union destination on its route network. The flights will be operated on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The inbound flight (G9 281) will depart from SHJ (Sharjah, UAE) at 18:55L and arrive in Athens at 22:45L. The return flight (G9 282) will depart from Athens at 23:30L and arrive in SHJ at 05:20L. As an exception to the above flight schedule, the inaugural flight arrived in Athens at 13:20L in order for the press conference and rest public relation events to take place in the noon and not at night.

Airbus A320 / A6-ABP / first arrival in Athens for Air Arabia

Aegean Airlines took delivery of the 17th new A320 (SX-DVY)

Aegean Airlines took delivery of the 17th A320 yesterday, which is the last one out of the initial 17 ordered. The plane is registered SX-DVY (c/n 3850) and arrived as A3 018 from TLS at 20:40L last night.
Thanks to Alex for the photo.

Airbus A320 / SX-DVY / parked in ATH after it's last night arrival

EasyJet 8772 emergency diversion to Athens

EasyJet flight EZY8772 (calling as EZY772P) from HER (Heraklio, Greece) to LGW (Gatwick, UK) had to divert to ATH due to a technical issue with the pressurisation and air conditioning system. 137 passengers and 7 crew were on board. The plane involved is an Airbus A320 registered G-TTOJ. It landed safely on runway 21R in ATH on 14:57L. Prior to landing it went over KRO VOR (Karystos) and did a holding at 7000ft. A replacement Boeing 737 registered G-EZKB is scheduled to arrived from LTN (Luton, UK) at 20:50L in order to take the passengers.

Following is the EasyJet press release regarding the incident:

easyJet statement regarding diversion of flight EZY8772 to Athens

easyJet can confirm that flight EZY8772 on 14 April from Heraklion (Crete) to London Gatwick diverted to Athens Airport. The aircraft, an Airbus A320 with 137 passengers and 7 crew members on board, landed safely and uneventfully in Athens at 15.02 local time.

On route from Crete to London, the aircraft made a precautionary decent due to a technical issue with the pressurisation and air conditioning system. There was no requirement to deploy the passenger oxygen masks, and easyJet would like to stress that this was not an emergency landing, but merely a precautionary technical diversion.

Safety is easyJet’s number one priority and at no point of time was there any risk to the safety and well-being of our passengers. The passengers are currently at Athens Airport and as far as easyJet is aware none of them requires any medical assistance.

An aircraft is on route to Athens and is scheduled to leave Greece at 19.25 local time with the passengers of the diverted flight. The flight is estimated to arrive at London Gatwick at 21.55 UK time.

Thanks to Alex for the photo

Airbus A320 / G-TTOJ / parked in Athens after the emergency diversion