Are there any such plans regarding air transport between Greece and Japan?
The lack of direct flight between Greece and Japan has had a negative influence on the annual number of Japanese tourists who visit our country. It should be noted that the period during which the Athens-Tokyo flight was operated by Olympic Airlines, we had approximately 200,000 Japanese tourists visiting Greece on an annual bases, while today the number has fallen to 85,000 (the lack of the direct flight is not of course the sole reason for this sharp drop). We hope that the commencement of operation of the flight Athens-Hong Kong whose operation is been strongly backed-up by Mr. Koutsolioutsos and Folli Follie, will positively contribute in the Greek-Japanese relations. Already, a possibility for an add-on leg to Tokyo twice a week is examined while at the same time a possibility of a direct flight from Athens to Tokyo through a code-share with a major carrier is under examination. At an event jointly organized by the Greek-Japanese Chamber of Commerce and the Embassy of Japan (2003)
