Greek airports
 

As people will have probably seen by now, Greece has imposed strict capital controls on both individuals and businesses taking cash out of a bank account or sending funds abroad without formal sign-off by a special committee. Banks are likely to be closed for the next week or so. In effect, this could well be the first step in a chain that marks a formal default process.

I don't want this thread to go into politics - JetBlast is the place for that. However, does anyone remember what happened regarding availability of fuel, and aircraft / airport operations for countries where something similiar happened in a significantly uncontrolled unplanned way in a country that was reasonably well developed ? I'm thinking perhaps of Argentina in 2002 or Thailand / Malaysia / Koreas in the late 1990s.

Are we likely to see commercial airlines having to tanker fuel in from southern Italy ? (The receint fire in Rome doesn't help matters...)
Will Greek ATC be reliably available over the summer ? etc...

Interesting questions. I have no idea about tankering, but I would expect ATC to be available. They are civil servants in Greece, and with tourism being so vital to the economy I reckon the government will make every effort to protect it.

Expect the unexpected
 

With a referendum planned for the 5th and capital controls in place until a week today at least !!i think it will get very messy, most private business will probably only accept cash not credit cards. Civil servants will probably do what they do best, nothing or strike when pay day is missed!!

If the Government lose the vote i think they'll resign, requiring new elections or the military may step in, if they win the vote then Greece is out of the Euro, in default of its international loans, no currency of its own.

Tankering fuel would be very sensible, but many runways are performance limited for landing, but enough fuel to get to Turkey/Bulgaria/Scilly/Cyprus/Italy might be prudent. For companies that fly a wave of aircraft on change over day I would have an engineer on the first flight and he/she can leave on the last flight out.

It would be interesting to know what if any effect this is having on bookings, the FCO is recommending taking enough cash for your holiday demands, so there will be lots of thieving toe rags around.

The joys of ultra left wing governments this lot make Russell Brand look sensible

Could we please keep political leanings out of this forum, it is supposed to be aviation orientated. After all Greece is a democracy and it is up to the Greek people to decide who they want to run the country and not a non-Greek who thinks they know best.

C3B what are you on about ??
 

You can't have a thread about Greek airports at this time without considering the political element anymore than you can about the forthcoming strikes by the French this week.

This isn't weather related or airline related its about the impact that a melt down in the financial situation in a country at the height of the Summer season caused by politics.

Without money to pay for wages, flight calibration and all the essential things that keep us safe, then this is a threat to our safety caused by politics and it wasn't brilliant to start with !!

Greece
 

Bookings have died over the weekend - it's not good for holiday flights in general with the Tunisian catastrophe. Greece is quiet because of uncertainty although the reality for tourists - who take cash - is that they are welcome with open arms. The threat to aviation is a walkout of state paid air traffic control, although the Greeks should realise their services as vital as they literally bring in plane loads of foreign cash - the one thing they need. I think things will be quiet until the referendum and then... Well who knows... But Greece will still be there, the weather will still be good and life will still continue

WHAT???That is the problem.

(But then seeing compton3bravo's location, it might appear that he's more concerned that where he is could be next.)

Should 'Zorba the Greek' be compulsory viewing for anyone trying to understand the situation there?

Let's hope that aviation remains safe despite the irrational politics. I would love to visit again, but it will be off my bookings list for quite some time.

Sorry to disappoint Trossy the country where I reside is on the up - only slowly mind - but on the mend. A total of 1,000 kilometres of new high speed railway coming on stream this year just one example and how many miles of high speed line in the UK - 62 miles I think.
What I was annoyed about was the last sentence of LN-IDAs comments - other people thinking they know best. If you read your English history we have been doing this to the rest of the world - especially in Africa, Asia and the Middle East for many hundreds of years and look where it has got us now - paying the price I am afraid.
Anyway hope the Greek situation is all sorted sorted out and quickly. Off now to have a glass of five year old Rioja Reserva from a bottle which has cost me 2 pounds 10p!

Ryanair accepting cash fares at airports for bookings because of the limits on cards.

Skygreece plane grounded in Bulgaria since they cannot wire money for fuel.

From a german source in Greece: Das Gelbe Forum - Griechischer Flieger bleibt in Budapest am Boden, weil das Geld zum Betanken nicht gesendet werden kann

compton3bravo


It is political you can't get away from that. Although nothing to do with Left Wing Politics as spouted by LNIDA.


It's about a country that should not be in the euro and are being bullied by a Right wing Germany.
I am going to Greece in 3 weeks and don't even know if the currency will be the euro or drachma - I know one thing, my jet is not yet more than half way full. Going to be a very quiet holiday it seems.


LNIDA - Nobody makes Russell Brand look sensible.


Seriously I don't fancy carrying huge amounts of cash to Greece, I may spend my time in Albania.

Surely crime will escalate too based on the advice for holiday makers to take extra cash !!

Exactly. Those of us who have booked, are between a rock and a hard place.


Muggers will be rubbing their hands.