Olympic Airlines was the
flag carrierA flag carrier refers to a transportation company, such as an airline or shipping company, that is locally registered in a given country. They may be state-run, state-owned or state-designated companies or organisations with preferential rights or privileges accorded by the government...
airline of
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
, based in
AthensAthens , the capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the world's oldest cities, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
. It operated services to 37 domestic destinations and to 32 destinations world-wide. Its main base was at Athens International Airport, with hubs at Thessaloniki International Airport, "Macedonia" and Rhodes International Airport, "Diagoras". By December 2007, the airline employed about 8,500 staff.
Olympic Airlines was also accredited by
IATAThe International Air Transport Association is an international industry trade group of airlines headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where the International Civil Aviation Organization is also headquartered. IATA's mission is to represent, lead and serve the airline industry. IATA...
with the
IOSAThe IATA Operational Safety Audit programme is an internationally recognised and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline. IOSA uses internationally recognised quality audit principles and is designed to conduct audits in a...
(IATA Operational Safety Audit) for its safety practices.
On March 6, 2009, the Greek State announced it had reached an agreement to sell the Flight operations, Ground Handling operations and Technical Base of the Group to
Marfin Investment GroupMarfin Investment Group was created in 1998 as Marfin Α.Ε.Π.Ε.Υ.. It has taken over several companies and has changed name several times since. In 2001 it took over Piraeus Prime Bank and was renamed Marfin Bank...
, the largest Greek investment fund, thus ending a 35-year period of state ownership.
On 29 September 2009 Olympic Airlines ceased all of its operations and most of its flights. Olympic Airlines will continue to be responsible for some flights to Greek islands designated as public service as well as some flights to destinations outside the European Union (Cairo, Alexandria, Tel Aviv, Beirut, Belgrade) until the Greek State conducts a public tender for those flights. Nevertheless, since Olympic Airlines ceased all operations, all those flights will be flown by its successor
Olympic AirOlympic Air is a Greek airline formed from the privatization of the former national carrier Olympic Airlines. It has commenced limited operations on 29 September 2009, after Olympic Airlines ceased all operations, with the official full-scale opening of the company taking place two days later, on 1...
.
History
The origin of Olympic Airways was in 1930, when the first predecessor airline was established. The airline was called
Icarus but after just a few months went bankrupt due to financial problems and limited Greek interest in air transport. G.C.A.T./Ε.Ε.Ε.Σ. (Greek Company for Air Transport/Ελληνική Εταιρεία Εναέριων Συγκοινωνιών) took its place. At the same time, in 1935, a second airline was created, the privately owned T.A.E. (Technical and Aeronautical Exploitations/Τεχνικαί Αεροπορικαί Εκμεταλλεύσεις). Soon after the World War II, in 1947, three airlines were based in Greece: T.A.E., G.A.T./ΕΛΛ.Α.Σ. (Greek Air Transport/Ελληνικαί Αεροπορικαί Συγκοινωνίαι) and Hellenic Airlines/Α.Μ.Ε. (Αεροπορικαί Μεταφοραί Ελλάδος).
Onassis era
In 1951, the poor financial state of all three airlines led to a decision by the Greek state to merge them into one,
TAE Greek National AirlinesTAE Greek National Airlines was formed by the Greek government in 1951 to be the national airline of Greece. The airline operated without competition on domestic routes in Greece and served a small number of European and Middle East cities...
. The new airline faced serious financial problems so the government closed it down in 1955. There was no interest in buying the airline so the Hellenic State bought the company back. In July 1956, the Hellenic State reached an agreement with Greek shipping-magnate
Aristotle OnassisAristotle Sokratis "Ari"/"Aristo" Onassis was a very prominent Greek shipping magnate of the 20th century...
to sell the company to Onassis. The company flew under the T.A.E. name until the end of the year and for the first few months of 1957. Then, on 6 April 1957,
Olympic Airways (Ολυμπιακή Αεροπορία/Olympiaki Aeroporia) was born.
The new company developed rapidly. In 1960, Olympic's first jet aircraft, the
de Havilland CometThe de Havilland Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner to reach production. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland, it first flew in 1949 and was considered a landmark in British aeronautical design...
4B, entered service. At the same time, Olympic and
BEABritish European Airways or British European Airways Corporation was a British airline which existed from 1946 until 1974. The airline operated European and North African routes from airports around the United Kingdom...
of the U.K. agreed to create the first codeshare flights. Later on, the companies expanded their cooperation. When Hellenic crews had to spend their night in London, British crews would fly the Greek Comets to BEA destinations, and the same with Greek crews and British Comets. On all BEA and OA Comets, there would be a "BEA-OLYMPIC" sign. In 1962 Olympic set a record, flying a Comet 4B from London to Athens in 2 hours and 51 minutes.
In 1965, Olympic placed an order for new
Boeing 707The Boeing 707 is a four-engine commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven"...
-320 jets; it received the first, bearing the name "City of Athens", in 1966. Olympic's first Boeing 707 service was also the inauguration of a non-stop route connecting Athens and New York City (JFK Airport). In 1968, Olympic began serving
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
, with a twice-weekly round-trip linking Athens with Nairobi and Johannesburg. In the same year, OA received the first of a fleet of
Boeing 727The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner. The first Boeing 727 flew in 1963 and for over a decade it was the most produced commercial jet airliner in the world. When production ended in 1984, a total of 1,831 aircraft had been produced...
-200 jet aircraft. A new Athens-Montreal-Chicago service commenced in 1969. Also in 1969, the airline phased out its Comet 4Bs.
In 1971, OA purchased new
NAMC YS-11The NAMC YS-11 is a turboprop airliner built by a Japanese consortium, the Nihon Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation. The program was initiated by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in 1954: the aircraft was rolled out in 1962, and production ceased in 1974.To date, the YS-11 is the...
twin-turboprop aircraft to begin replacing the ageing
Douglas DC-3The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing, propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Because of its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II it is generally regarded as one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
and
Douglas DC-6The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with the Lockheed Constellation in the long-range...
piston-engined types that until then were still in use throughout the company's domestic network. In that year, too, it created a subsidiary airline,
Olympic AviationOlympic Aviation was a subsidiary of Olympic Airways, the Greek national flag carrier.-Creation and Operations of Olympic Aviation:Olympic Aviation was created on August 2nd, 1971, when Olympic Airways was still owned by Aristotle Onassis, by his son Alexander. Until then, it was known as a...
/Ολυμπιακή Αεροπλοϊα, to serve the Greek islands more efficiently. In 1972, Olympic turned to the important
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
-
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
market, beginning Boeing 707-320 operations between Athens and Sydney twice a week via Bangkok and Singapore.
Olympic then acquired seven Boeing 720-051B aircraft, a medium-range derivative of the Boeing 707, from
Northwest AirlinesNorthwest Airlines, Inc. , a wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, Inc., is a major United States airline headquartered in Eagan, Minnesota, near Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport...
of the U.S.A. The airline also entered the wide-body era by purchasing two new Boeing 747-200s. OA even showed interest in the BAC-
AerospatialeAérospatiale was a French aerospace manufacturer that built both civilian and military aircraft, rockets and satellites. It was originally known as Société Nationale d'Industrie Aérospatiale...
ConcordeThe Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde aircraft was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner, a supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation...
supersonic airliner, and, on January 5, 1973, a Concorde landed at Athens International Airport to give a demonstration.
Post-Onassis era
On 22 January 1973, an incident occurred that dramatically changed the future of OA. The death of Aristotle Onassis' son, Alexander, in a plane crash came as a shock to the Greek people and a new phase began for Olympic Airways. A few months later, Onassis sold all of the OA shares to the Greek state and died shortly after (in 1975). In 1976, under state management, OA purchased eleven
Boeing 737-200The Boeing 737 is a short to medium range, single aisle, narrow body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has nine variants with the -600, -700, -800 and -900 currently in production.Originally envisioned in...
jet aircraft and created
Olympic Catering, which served both OA and foreign airlines. In 1977, in a cost-cutting effort, OA shut down the Australia route, followed by the Canadian one in 1978, when OA also placed orders for four
Airbus A300The Airbus A300 is a short- to medium-range widebody aircraft. Launched in 1972 as the world's first twin-engined widebody, it was the first product of the Airbus consortium of European aerospace companies, wholly owned today by EADS. The A300 ceased production in July 2007, along with the smaller...
, plus four options.
In 1984, three more B747-200 aircraft were purchased from
Singapore AirlinesSingapore Airlines Limited is the state-owned national airline of Singapore. Singapore Airlines operates a hub at Singapore Changi Airport and has a strong presence in the Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and "Kangaroo Route" markets...
, and the Canada and Australia routes were reopened. A new
Olympic Airways Cargo division was created, by converting the Boeing 707-320 "City of Lindos", but the plans were soon abandoned. In 1986, there were strikes at OA, and financial losses mounted.
The company has faced serious financial trouble since the 80s, mostly because of
managementManagement in all business and human organization activity is simply the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives. Management comprises planning, organizing, staffing, leading, directing, facilitating and controlling or manipulating an organization or effort for...
problems. Greek politicians and their families travelled free on the airline or for token amounts. Greek governments also made Olympic carry the press with a 97% discount.
Olympic AirTours (Ολυμπιακή Τουριστική) was created as a subsidiary of OA, which issues tickets not only for OA, but for other airlines as well. Very soon, Olympic AirTours was renamed
Macedonian Airlines and reestablished as a charter flight company.
In 1990 a route to
Tokyo, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and is located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the city of Tokyo in the eastern part of the prefecture, totaling over 8 million people....
via Bangkok was launched but Olympic was soon forced to shut it down, despite very high load factors (95%). Olympic purchased seven Boeing 737-400 aircraft in 1991, as well as the advanced version of the A300, the A300-600R. Due to the rising losses and debts, the government decided to formulate a restructuring program in which all debts were erased. This program, as well as all the plans that followed, failed. A few years later, in an attempt to make OA profitable, its management was given to the subsidiary of
British AirwaysBritish Airways plc is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in Waterside near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport and is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations. Its second hub is London Gatwick...
, Speedwing. The result was even larger debts and rising losses. In 1999, Olympic purchased four
Airbus A340-313XThe Airbus A340 is a long-range four-engined wide-body commercial passenger airliner manufactured by Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It seats between 261 and 380 passengers, and has a range between 6,700 and 9,000 NM . It is similar in design to the twin-engined A330...
aircraft, to replace the ageing B747-200.
Olympic Airways to Olympic Airlines
By December 2003, the Olympic Airways Group of Companies owned
Olympic Airways (Ολυμπιακή Αεροπορία),
Olympic Aviation (Ολυμπιακή Αεροπλοϊα),
Macedonian AirlinesMacedonian Airlines was a subsidiary of Olympic Airways, the former national flag carrier of Greece....
(Mακεδονικές Αερογραμμές),
Galileo Hellas (Γαλιλλαίος Ελλάς),
Olympic Fuel Company (Ολυμπιακή Εταιρεία Καυσίμων), and
Olympic Into-Plane Company.
Olympic Catering had been sold a few months earlier. A company formed in the 80s called
Olympic AirTours (Ολυμπιακή Τουριστική) had already been transformed into Macedonian Airlines.
Very soon the losses became excessive, so in 2003 the government restructured the Olympic Airways Group of Companies. The subsidiary,
Macedonian Airlines S.A.Macedonian Airlines was a subsidiary of Olympic Airways, the former national flag carrier of Greece....
, was renamed
Olympic Airlines S.A. and took over the flight operations of Olympic Airways, erasing at the same time all of the airline's debts. The remaining group companies, except for
Olympic Aviation (Olympic Airways, Olympic Into-Plane Company, Olympic Fuel Company, Olympic Airways Handling and the Olympic Airways Technical Base), merged and formed a new company, called
Olympic Airways - Services S.A.. In December 2004, the Greek government decided to privatize
Olympic Airlines, but the sale process ended in failure as none of the buyers were eager to repay the Greek state the almost 700 million
euroThe euro is the official currency of 16 of the 27 Member States of the European Union . The states, known collectively as the Eurozone, are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain...
in state aid declared illegal by the European Commission in December 2005.
In 2005, the Greek Government looked for potential buyers to privatize OA. In April of that year, a short list of potential buyers was submitted that included
Aegean AirlinesAegean Airlines S.A. is the largest Greek airline, by fleet size, number of destinations served and the total number of passengers carried. It operates scheduled and charter services from Athens and Thessaloniki to other major Greek destinations as well as to a number of European destinations...
, German LCC
DBADBA may refer to:In business:*DBA , low-cost German airline*Doing business as, legal term related to the name a business uses*Doctor of Business Administration, research doctorate degree...
and a Greek-American consortium called Olympic Investors. Shortly afterwards Aegean Airlines pulled out, followed by DBA. In September 2005, the Greek government signed a non-binding agreement with Olympic Investors to buy the airline. In an interview, Olympic Investors stated that they were backed by York Capital with 6.5 billion Dollars and assured that OA's workers would not lose their jobs. They stated that OA should continue to operate as an integrated company and that they were not interested in buying just parts of OA. By the end of the year, the offer fell through because the huge fine imposed on the airline by the European Commission had not been dealt with.
According to Greek media, the government planned to relaunch the company in late 2006. The code name for the project was "Pantheon Airways". In June 2006, Greek media reported that "Sabre Aviation Consulting Services" was contracted by the Greek government to find investors, and would develop a business plan for an airline to replace Olympic Airlines, aiming to start operating in autumn 2006. Under this plan the government would be a minority shareholder of the new carrier, which would be run as a private airline. The planned re-launch date passed without anything happening, and the plan was temporarily frozen.
In 2006 O.A. was thrown a life line, when the courts ordered Greece to repay them almost 564 million
euroThe euro is the official currency of 16 of the 27 Member States of the European Union . The states, known collectively as the Eurozone, are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain...
owed to the airline. The money was owed to O.A. from legally subsidized routes to Greek islands and costs of the relocation to the new airport. The money would be used to pay back part of the State aid declared illegal by the European Commission in December 2005. Olympic Airlines re-designed their website to introduce the e-ticket service, launched on July 31 2007, in response to the surge of online booking and online check-ins. The e-ticket service introduction by
EDSEDS may refer to:*Earth Departure Stage, a rocket stage forming part of NASA's project Constellation*Earth Data Solutions, a global Geographic Information Systems Technology services and solutions provider...
meant Olympic abolished their old "Hermes" booking system, which had served the company for more than two decades. As of November 2007, the e-ticket service is available on all European and International routes, and on 19 of the airline's 37 domestic routes.
On September 12, 2007, the Luxembourg-based EU court ruled that Olympic should repay a reduced amount of money than the one the EU Commission had ordered. This amount included unpaid taxes on fuel and spare parts, as well as unpaid fees to Athens International Airport. The new amount owed by Olympic was €130 million, as compared with the original €160 million. On that same day Olympic Investors, the Greek-American consortium that was interested in buying Olympic in 2005, stated re-newed interest in buying the airline.
In November 2007, Irish airline
Ryanair
filed a suit with the European Commission, saying it had not looked into its claims that Olympic had not paid back its debt. On December 1, 2007 transport minister Kostas Hatzidakis announced that the entire Olympic Airways Group debts amounted to 2 billion euro, and that the airline in its present form and size would cease existing in 2008. This was deemed to be the only way for the European Commission to write off the company's debts to the Greek public sector. He stated that Athens was under more pressure to recover the money Olympic owed, because of the Ryanair lawsuit.
Despite all predictions, traffic for Olympic in 2007 increased, carrying a total of 5,977,104 passengers (3,115,521 in domestic and 2,681,583 in international flights) as opposed to approximately 5,500,000 passengers in 2006. It is estimated that OA earned approximately 780 million euro in 2007, 500 of which came from international flights. However, in 2008 due to lack of aircraft
Olympic Airlines has cancelled or merged a significant number of flights, about 6,000 according to its own union (as of August 26, 2008).
Olympic Airlines officials have declared that this is not the major problem since "after all the income reduction is only 4-5 million euros compared to the initial budget plan".
Olympic Airlines to Olympic Air
On March 6, 2009, Development Minister Kostis Hatzidakis announced the sale of the flight operations and the technical base companies to MIG. As a result, after 35 years of state control and 10 years of failed sale attempts, Olympic will once again become a private corporation. The new owners will secure approximately 5000 of the 8500 jobs of the Group.
On September 28, 2009, Olympic Airlines ceased to fly to most of its 69 destinations, maintaining flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut, Cairo and all public service obligation routes within Greece, until the Ministry for Transport and Communications redistributes the routes in late November, when Olympic Airlines will enter liquidation. The last Olympic Airlines flight was flight 424 from Toronto-Canada, via Montreal landed at 11:10 on September 29 2009 at the Athens International Airport.
Olympic AirOlympic Air is a Greek airline formed from the privatization of the former national carrier Olympic Airlines. It has commenced limited operations on 29 September 2009, after Olympic Airlines ceased all operations, with the official full-scale opening of the company taking place two days later, on 1...
will take over the rest of the operations on September 29 2009 and its first flight will be on the 1st of October 2009 at 06:20 leaving the Athens International Airport and heading to Thessaloniki-Greece.
All passengers with Olympic Airlines tickets will be able to fly on any other airline, including
Olympic AirOlympic Air is a Greek airline formed from the privatization of the former national carrier Olympic Airlines. It has commenced limited operations on 29 September 2009, after Olympic Airlines ceased all operations, with the official full-scale opening of the company taking place two days later, on 1...
, at no extra charge.
Many destinations are not served anymore by the new Olympic, and the 69 employees of
Olympic Airlines in Germany, where the new company does not fly, don't know what will happen in future with their jobs..
Destinations
Olympic Airlines flew to 37 domestic and 32 international destinations throughout 23 countries.
Current
The Olympic Airlines fleet consisted of the following aircraft (at 1 August 2009):
Olympic Airlines Fleet
| Aircraft |
In
Service |
Orders |
Options |
Passengers |
Routes
Haul |
Notes |
| Airbus A320-200 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
162
168
180 |
Europe
Short-Medium haul |
1 operated by Air Comet
2 operated by Hellas JetHellas Jet is a charter airline based in Athens, Greece, operating services to Greece from destinations in Europe. Its main base is Athens International Airport...
|
| Airbus A340-300X |
4 |
0 |
0 |
295 |
London, North America, Paris, South Africa
Medium-Long haul |
These belong to the Ministry of Finance and National Economy and were leased to Olympic. |
| ATR 42-320 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
50 |
Domestic, Albania, Bulgaria, Turkey
Short haul |
|
| ATR 72-202 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
68 |
Domestic, Albania, Bulgaria, Turkey
Short haul |
|
| Boeing 737-300 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
136 |
Egypt, Europe, Cyprus, Middle East, Turkey
Short-Medium haul |
1 operated by Seagle AirSeagle Air is an airline based in Trenčín and M. R. Štefánik Airport in Bratislava , Slovakia with a third base in Prague . Established in 1995, Seagle Air operates non-scheduled air services, including passenger, cargo and mail charter flights to domestic and international destinations...
|
| Boeing 737-400 |
13 |
0 |
0 |
150 |
Egypt, Europe, Cyprus, Middle East, Turkey
Short-Medium haul |
2 stored at WOE Woensdrecht Air Base is a military airport near the town of Woensdrecht, about 10 km south of the city of Bergen op Zoom in the the Netherlands. It is located near highway A58 and the border with Belgium....
|
| McDonnell Douglas MD-83 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
160 |
Egypt, Europe, Cyprus, Middle East, Turkey
Short-Medium haul |
Operated by Sky Wings Sky Wings is a Greek charter airline. It operated for Seguro Holidays until the contract was suspended in Summer 2007 due to poor service.-Fleet:The Sky Wings fleet includes the following aircraft :...
|
| Bombardier Dash 8-102 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
37 |
Domestic
Short haul |
|
| Total |
44 |
- |
- |
|
Former fleet
Olympic Airlines has previously operated the following fleet:
Olympic Airlines/Airways Retired Fleet
| Aircraft |
Total |
Passengers |
Routes |
Notes |
Douglas DC-3The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing, propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Because of its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II it is generally regarded as one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
|
14 |
28 |
Short haul
Domestic and Balkans |
Previously flew with TAE Greek National Airlines) |
Douglas DC-4The Douglas DC-4 is a four-engined propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s in a military role...
|
2 |
|
Short and medium haul
Domestic and Europe |
|
Douglas DC-6The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with the Lockheed Constellation in the long-range...
|
13 |
66 (1958), 95 (1967) |
Short and medium haul
Domestic and Europe |
3 were leased from U.A.T. |
DeHavilland Comet 4BThe de Havilland Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner to reach production. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland, it first flew in 1949 and was considered a landmark in British aeronautical design...
|
6 |
147 (1966), 165 (1968) |
Medium haul
Europe, Middle East |
2 leased from BEA Bea or BEA, as a name, abbreviation, or acronym, may refer to:*Bea, another name for the Aka-Bea language.*Bea, a character in the British comic strip Dennis the Menace*BEA Systems, an American software company...
(BEA-OLYMPIC) |
Boeing 707-320The Boeing 707 is a four-engine commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven"...
|
8 |
147 (1966), 165 (1968) |
Long and medium haul
Europe, North America, Africa, Australia |
|
Boeing 717-200The Boeing 717 is a twin-engine, single-aisle jet airliner, developed for the 100-seat market. The airliner was designed and marketed by McDonnell Douglas as the MD-95, a third-generation derivative of the DC-9....
|
3 |
105 |
Short and medium haul
Greece and Europe |
2 leased from BavariaBavaria , with an area of and almost 12.5 million inhabitants, is located in the southeast of Germany and is the largest state of Germany by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, 1 leased from Pembroke Capital (BOC) |
| Boeing 720-051B |
7 |
160 |
Short and medium haul
Domestic, Europe and Middle East |
|
Boeing 727-30The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner. The first Boeing 727 flew in 1963 and for over a decade it was the most produced commercial jet airliner in the world. When production ended in 1984, a total of 1,831 aircraft had been produced...
|
2 |
|
Short and medium haul
Domestic, Europe and Middle East |
Leased from Boeing |
Boeing 727-200The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner. The first Boeing 727 flew in 1963 and for over a decade it was the most produced commercial jet airliner in the world. When production ended in 1984, a total of 1,831 aircraft had been produced...
|
10 |
146 |
Short and medium haul
Domestic, Europe and Middle East |
1 leased from Safair Safair is an airline based in Kempton Park , South Africa. It operates aircraft chartering, leasing and sales, contract operations and leasing services, flightcrew leasing and training, aircraft maintenance and modification, aviation safety and medical training and operations support...
|
| Boeing 737-200 The Boeing 737 is a short to medium range, single aisle, narrow body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has nine variants with the -600, -700, -800 and -900 currently in production.Originally envisioned in...
|
15 |
123 |
Short and medium haul
Greece and Europe |
4 leased from Aviation Sales Company |
| Boeing 737-300 The Boeing 737 is a short to medium range, single aisle, narrow body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has nine variants with the -600, -700, -800 and -900 currently in production.Originally envisioned in...
|
5 |
138 |
Short and medium haul
Domestic, Europe and Middle East |
5 leased from Hola Airlines Hola Airlines is an airline based in Palma de Mallorca, Majorca, Spain. It operates European charter services . Its main base is Son Sant Joan Airport, Palma de Mallorca, with other hub at Madrid Barajas International Airport....
, 1 leased from Boullioun Aviation |
| Boeing 737-400 The Boeing 737 is a short to medium range, single aisle, narrow body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has nine variants with the -600, -700, -800 and -900 currently in production.Originally envisioned in...
|
5 |
150 |
Short and medium haul
Domestic, Europe and Middle East |
1 leased from Hola Airlines Hola Airlines is an airline based in Palma de Mallorca, Majorca, Spain. It operates European charter services . Its main base is Son Sant Joan Airport, Palma de Mallorca, with other hub at Madrid Barajas International Airport....
, 1 leased from Pembroke Capital, 1 leased from Oasis International Leasing, 1 leased from ILFC, 1 leased from GECAS |
| Boeing 747-100 The Boeing 747 is a widebody commercial airliner, often referred to by the nickname "Jumbo Jet". It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first widebody ever produced...
|
1 |
|
Long haul
North America, Africa, Australia, Asia, South America |
Leased from GPA in 1986 |
| Boeing 747-200 The Boeing 747 is a widebody commercial airliner, often referred to by the nickname "Jumbo Jet". It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first widebody ever produced...
|
5 |
426 |
Long haul
North America, Africa, Australia, Asia |
1 leased from Air Atlanta For the international charter airline see Air Atlanta IcelandicAir Atlanta was an regional airline based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA in the 1980s serving a dozen cities from its hub in Atlanta.- History :...
for the 2004 Olympic Torch Relay (ARO) |
Britten Norman BN2 IslanderThe Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander is a 1960s British light utility aircraft, mainline airliner and cargo aircraft designed and originally manufactured by Britten-Norman of the United Kingdom. The Islander is one of the best-selling commercial aircraft types produced in Europe. Although designed in...
|
15 |
9 |
Short haul
Domestic and Island services |
Leased |
NAMC YS-11The NAMC YS-11 is a turboprop airliner built by a Japanese consortium, the Nihon Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation. The program was initiated by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in 1954: the aircraft was rolled out in 1962, and production ceased in 1974.To date, the YS-11 is the...
|
10 |
64 |
Short haul
Domestic and Island services |
2 leased from NAMC |
Dornier Do 228The Dornier Do 228 is a small twin-turboprop STOL utility aircraft, manufactured by Dornier GmbH from 1981 until 1998. In 1983 Hindustan Aeronautics bought a production licence and manufactures the 228 for the Asian market sphere. Approximately 270 Do 228 were built at Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany...
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9 |
18 |
Short haul
Domestic and Island services |
2 leased from Dornier Dornier may refer to:* Claudius Dornier , German aircraft designer and builder** Dornier Flugzeugwerke, German aircraft manufacturer founded in 1914 by Claudius Dornier* Dornier Consulting, international consulting and project management company...
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Shorts 330The Short 330 is a small transport aircraft created by Short Brothers. It seats up to 30 people and was relatively inexpensive and cheap to operate at the time of its introduction in 1976. The 330 was based on the SC.7 Skyvan....
|
6 |
30 |
Short haul
Domestic and Island services |
|
| Shorts Skyvan |
4 |
18 |
Short haul
Domestic and Island services |
2 leased |
Airbus A300The Airbus A300 is a short- to medium-range widebody aircraft. Launched in 1972 as the world's first twin-engined widebody, it was the first product of the Airbus consortium of European aerospace companies, wholly owned today by EADS. The A300 ceased production in July 2007, along with the smaller...
|
13 |
260 |
Medium and Long haul
High capacitly European and Doestic |
|
| Total |
153 |
|
Naming of aircraft
Naming of the aircraft of Olympic Airways (and now Olympic Airlines) is as follows:
Olympic Aircraft Name
| Aircraft |
Category |
Names |
Airbus A300-600The Airbus A300 is a short- to medium-range widebody aircraft. Launched in 1972 as the world's first twin-engined widebody, it was the first product of the Airbus consortium of European aerospace companies, wholly owned today by EADS. The A300 ceased production in July 2007, along with the smaller...
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Locations of Greece |
Athina/Αθήνα, Makedonia Makedonia, Makedonija or Makedoniya are names used for Macedonia by peoples within the region.It may also refer to:* Makedonia , a Greek newspaper...
/Μακεδονία, Creta/Κρήτη |
Airbus A300-B4The Airbus A300 is a short- to medium-range widebody aircraft. Launched in 1972 as the world's first twin-engined widebody, it was the first product of the Airbus consortium of European aerospace companies, wholly owned today by EADS. The A300 ceased production in July 2007, along with the smaller...
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Heroes of the Trojan War In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy stole Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The war is among the most important events in Greek mythology and was narrated in many works of Greek literature, including the Iliad...
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Nestor Nestor may refer to:*Nestor , the son of Neleus, the King of Pylos and Chloris in Greek mythology*Nestor *Nestor Gianaclis, 19th Century founder of the Egyptian cigarette industry*Nestor , a genus of parrots in ornithology...
/Νέστωρ, TelemachusTelemachus is a figure in Greek mythology, the son of Odysseus and Penelope, and a central character in Homer's Odyssey...
/Τηλέμαχος, OdysseusOdysseus or Ulysses , in Greek mythology , was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey...
/Οδυσσεύς, Achilleus/Αχιλλεύς, NeoptolemusNeoptolemus was the son of the warrior Achilles and the princess Deidamia in Greek mythology. Achilles' mother foretold many years before Achilles birth that there would be a great war. She saw that her only son was to die if he fought in the war...
/Νεοπτόλεμος, PeleusIn Greek mythology, Pēleús was a hero who was already known to Homer. Peleus was the son of Aeacus, king of the island of Aegina, and Endeïs, the oread of Mount Pelion in Thessaly; he became the father of Achilles...
/Πηλεύς, DiomedesDiomedes or Diomed is a hero in Greek mythology, mostly known for his participation in the Trojan War. He was born to Tydeus and Deipyle and later became King of Argos, succeeding his maternal grandfather, Adrastus...
/Διομήδης, AjaxAjax or Aias was a mythological Greek hero, the son of Telamon and Periboea and king of Salamis. He plays an important role in Homer's Iliad and in the Epic Cycle, a series of epic poems about the Trojan War. To distinguish him from Ajax, son of Oileus , he is called "Telamonian Ajax," "Greater...
/Αίας, IdomeneusIn Greek mythology, Idomeneus was a Cretan warrior, father of Orsilochus, son of Deucalion, grandson of Minos and king of Crete. He led the Cretan armies to the Trojan War and was also one of Helen's suitors. Meriones was his charioteer and brother-in-arms...
/Ιδομενεύς |
Airbus A340The Airbus A340 is a long-range four-engined wide-body commercial passenger airliner manufactured by Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It seats between 261 and 380 passengers, and has a range between 6,700 and 9,000 NM . It is similar in design to the twin-engined A330...
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Historic Locations of Ancient Greece |
DelphiDelphi is both an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis...
/Δελφοί, OlympiaOlympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi. Both games were held every Olympiad , the Olympic Games dating back possibly further than 776 BC...
/Ολυμπία, MarathonThe marathon is a long-distance foot race with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres that is usually run as a road race. The event is named after the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon to Athens...
/Μαραθών, EpidaurusEpidaurus was a small city in ancient Greece, at the Saronic Gulf. The modern town Epidavros , part of the prefecture of Argolis, was built near the ancient site.-History:...
/Επίδαυρος |
ATR 42The ATR 42 is a twin-turboprop, short-haul regional airliner built in France and Italy by ATR. The name "42" comes from the aircraft's standard seating, which varies from 40 to 50...
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Philosophers of Greece |
PlatoPlato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world...
/Πλάτων, Socrates Socrates was a Classical Greek philosopher. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known only through the classical accounts of his students...
/Σωκράτης, Aristotles, PythagorasPythagoras of Samos was an Ionian Greek philosopher and founder of the religious movement called Pythagoreanism. He is often revered as a great mathematician, mystic and scientist; however some have questioned the scope of his contributions to mathematics and natural philosophy...
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| ATR 72 The ATR 72 is a twin-turboprop short-haul regional airliner built by the French-Italian aircraft manufacturer ATR. It seats up to 74 passengers in a single-class configuration and is operated by a two-pilot crew.-Development:...
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Scientists of Ancient Greece |
ThalesThales of Miletus , was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher from Miletus in Asia Minor, and one of the Seven Sages of Greece. Many, most notably Aristotle, regard him as the first philosopher in the Greek tradition...
, HippocratesHippocrates of Cos or Hippokrates of Kos - Greek: ; Hippokrátēs was an ancient Greek physician of the Age of Pericles, and was considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine...
, DemokritusDemocritus was an Ancient Greek philosopher born in Abdera in the north of Greece. He was the most prolific, and ultimately the most influential, of the pre-Socratic philosophers; his atomic theory may be regarded as the culmination of early Greek thought.His exact contributions are difficult to...
, HomerHomer is a legendary ancient Greek epic poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey...
, HerodotusHerodotus of Halicarnassus was a Greek historian who lived in the 5th century BC and is regarded as the "Father of History" in Western culture. He was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
, ArchimedesArchimedes of Syracuse was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer. Although few details of his life are known, he is regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity...
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Boeing 707The Boeing 707 is a four-engine commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven"...
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City-States of Ancient Greece |
AthensAthens , the capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the world's oldest cities, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
(Πόλις των Αθηνών), LindosLindos is a town and an archaeological site on the east coast of the Greek island of Rhodes, in the Dodecanese in southeastern Aegean Sea. It is about 55 km south of the town of Rhodes and its fine beaches make it a popular tourist and holiday destination...
(Πόλις της Λίνδου), ThebesThebes is a city in Greece, situated to the north of the Cithaeron range, which divides Boeotia from Attica, and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain. It played an important role in Greek myth, as the site of the stories of Cadmus, Oedipus, Dionysus and others...
(Πόλις των Θηβών), PellaPella , an ancient city located in Pella Prefecture of Macedonia in Greece, was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Macedon. A common folk etymology is traditionally given for the name Pella, ascribing it to a form akin to the Doric Apella, originally meaning a ceremonial location where decisions...
, MycenaeMycenae , is an archaeological site in Greece, located about 90 km south-west of Athens, in the north-eastern Peloponnese. Argos is 6 km to the south; Corinth, 48 km to the north...
, CorinthCorinth, or Korinth Corinth, or Korinth Corinth, or Korinth (Greek Κόρινθος, Kórinthos is a city in Greece. In antiquity it was a city-state, on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnesus to the mainland of Greece. To the west of the isthmus lies the Gulf of...
, KnossosKnossos , also known as Labyrinth, or Knossos Palace, is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and probably the ceremonial and political center of the Minoan civilization and culture. The palace appears as a maze of workrooms, living spaces, and store rooms close to a central square...
, SpartaSparta was a city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the River Eurotas in the southern part of the Peloponnese. From c. 650 BC it rose to become the dominant military power in the region and as such was recognized as the overall leader of the combined Greek forces during the Greco-Persian Wars...
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| Boeing 720 |
Rivers of Greece |
Axios River, Strimon River, Acheloos RiverThe Achelous , also Acheloos, is a river in western Greece. It formed the boundary between Acarnania and Aetolia of antiquity. It empties into the Ionian Sea...
, Pinios River, Evros River, Aliakmon River, Nestos River |
Boeing 717The Boeing 717 is a twin-engine, single-aisle jet airliner, developed for the 100-seat market. The airliner was designed and marketed by McDonnell Douglas as the MD-95, a third-generation derivative of the DC-9....
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Constellations |
IridanosEridanus is a constellation. It is represented as a river; its name is the Ancient Greek name for the Po River. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations. It is the sixth largest of the modern...
/Ηριδανός, KassiopiCassiopeia is a constellation in the northern sky. In Greek mythology it was considered to represent the vain queen Cassiopeia, who boasted about her unrivaled beauty. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century Greek astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern...
, AndromedaAndromeda is a constellation in the northern sky. It is named after Andromeda, the princess of a mythological kingdom Ethiopia in Greek mythology. From the Earth's perspective, the constellation appears to contain the Andromeda Galaxy...
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Boeing 727The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner. The first Boeing 727 flew in 1963 and for over a decade it was the most produced commercial jet airliner in the world. When production ended in 1984, a total of 1,831 aircraft had been produced...
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Mountains of Greece |
Mount OlympusMount Olympus is the highest mountain range in Greece, its highest peak Mýtikas rising to 2,919 metres high . Since its base is located at sea level, it is one of the highest peaks in Europe in terms of topographic prominence, the relative altitude from base to top...
/Όρος Όλυμπος, Mount ParnassusMount Parnassus is a mountain of limestone in central Greece that towers above Delphi, north of the Gulf of Corinth, and offers scenic views of the surrounding olive groves and countryside. According to Greek mythology, this mountain was sacred to Apollo and the Corycian nymphs, and the home of the...
/Όρος Παρνασσός, Mount Menalon, Mount VermionThe Vermio Mountains are a mountain range in between Imathia and Kozani Prefecture in west-central Greek region of Macedonia. The range is west of the plain of Kambania. The town of Veria, also capital of Imathia prefecture, is built οn the foot of these mountains...
, Mount Dirfis, Mount PindosThe Pindus mountain range is located in northern Greece and southern Albania. It is roughly 160 km long, with a maximum elevation of 2637 m . Because it runs along the border of Thessaly and Epirus, the Pindus range is often called the "spine of Greece"...
, Mount Helicon, Mount AthosMount Athos is a mountain on the peninsula of the same name in Macedonia, of northern Greece, called in Greek Agion Oros , or in English, "Holy Mountain". In Classical times, the peninsula was called Aktí...
, Mount Taygetus |
| Boeing 737-200 The Boeing 737 is a short to medium range, single aisle, narrow body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has nine variants with the -600, -700, -800 and -900 currently in production.Originally envisioned in...
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Ancient Gods and Heroes: |
HerculesHercules is the Roman name for the mythical Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmena. Early Roman sources suggest that the imported Greek hero supplanted a mythic Italic shepherd called "Recaranus" or "Garanus", famous for his strength, who dedicated the Ara Maxima that became...
, ApolloIn Greek and Roman mythology, Apollo , is one of the most important and many-sided of the Olympian deities...
, HermesHermes is the Messenger of the gods in Greek mythology as well as a guide to the Underworld. An Olympian god, he is also the patron of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of thieves and road travelers, of orators and wit, of literature and poets, of...
, HephaestusHephaestus was a Greek god whose Roman equivalent was Vulcan. He was the god of technology, blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals, metallurgy, fire and volcanoes. Like other mythic smiths but unlike most other gods, Hephaestus was lame, which gave him a grotesque appearance in Greek...
, Dionysos, PoseidonIn Greek mythology, Poseidon was the god of the sea and, as "Earth-Shaker," of earthquakes. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...
, PhoebusPhoebus is the Latin form of Greek Phoibos "Shining-one", a byname used in classical mythology for either the god Apollo, or the god Helios, or the sun, generally....
, TritonTriton may refer to one of many things named after Triton , a Greek god, the messenger of the deep, son of Poseidon, god of the sea.- Astronomy :* Triton , the largest moon of the planet Neptune* A misspelling of Keith P...
, ProteusIn Greek mythology, Proteus is an early sea-god, one of several deities whom Homer calls the "Old Man of the Sea", whose name suggests the "first", as protogonos is the "primordial" or the "firstborn". He became the son of Poseidon in the Olympian theogony In Greek mythology, Proteus (Πρωτεύς) is...
, NereusNereus , in Greek mythology, was the eldest son of Pontus and Gaia , a Titan who fathered the Nereids, with whom Nereus lived in the Aegean Sea. In the Iliad the Old Man of the Sea is the father of Nereids, though Nereus is not directly named...
, AtlasIn Greek mythology, Atlas was the primordial Titan who supported the heavens from the ranges now called the Atlas Mountains. Atlas was the son of the Titan Iapetus and the Oceanid Asia or Klyménē :...
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| Boeing 737-400 The Boeing 737 is a short to medium range, single aisle, narrow body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has nine variants with the -600, -700, -800 and -900 currently in production.Originally envisioned in...
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Cities of Macedonia |
VerginaVergina is a small town in northern Greece, located in the prefecture of Imathia, Central Macedonia. The town became internationally famous in 1977, when the Greek archaeologist Manolis Andronikos unearthed what he claimed was the burial site of the kings of Macedon, including the tomb of Philip...
, Olynthos, PhilippiPhilippi was a city in eastern Macedonia, in northern ancient Greece, established by Philip II in 356 BC and abandoned in the 14th century after the Ottoman conquest...
, StagiraStagira is a Greek village lying on a picturesque plateau on the Chalcidice peninsula, and standing at the foot of the Argirolofos hill. The village stands a few kilometers south from the ancient Stageira, the birthplace of Aristotle, and a statue of him stands in it. In Byzantine times, Stagira...
, DionDion is a municipality and village in the Prefecture of Pieria, Macedonia, Greece, best known for its archaeological museum and archaeological site. Zeus was honored at the ancient city of Dion located at the foot of Mount Olympus. It is located 15 km...
, AmphipoliAmphipolis was an ancient Greek city in the region once inhabited by the Edoni people in the present-day periphery of Central Macedonia. It was built on a raised plateau overlooking the east bank of the river Strymon where it emerged from Lake Cercinitis, about 3 m. from the Aegean Sea. Founded in...
, PellaPella , an ancient city located in Pella Prefecture of Macedonia in Greece, was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Macedon. A common folk etymology is traditionally given for the name Pella, ascribing it to a form akin to the Doric Apella, originally meaning a ceremonial location where decisions...
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| Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a widebody commercial airliner, often referred to by the nickname "Jumbo Jet". It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first widebody ever produced...
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"Olympic Aircraft" |
Olympic Zeus/Ολύμπιος Ζεύς, Olympic Eagle/Ολύμπιος Αετός, Olympic Spirit/Ολύμπιο Πνεύμα, Olympic Flame/Ολύμπια Φλόγα, Olympic Peace/Ολυμπιακή Εκεχειρία |
DeHavilland Comet 4BThe de Havilland Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner to reach production. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland, it first flew in 1949 and was considered a landmark in British aeronautical design...
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Members of the Greek Royal Family |
Princess SophiaQueen Sofía of Spain , is the Queen consort of Spain as the wife of King Juan Carlos I.- Early life and family :...
, Queen SophiaPrincess Sophie of Prussia , was a Queen consort of Greece.-Princess of Prussia:...
, Queen Frederica, Queen Olga |
| Dornier 228 |
Islands of Greece |
LerosLeros is a Greek island and municipality in the Dodecanese prefecture in the southern Aegean Sea. It lies 317 km from Athens's port of Piraeus, from which it can be reached by an 11-hour ferry ride .-Geography:The island is 74 square kilometres and has a coastline of 71 km...
, SkyrosSkyros is the southernmost island of the Sporades, a Greek archipelago in the Aegean Sea. Around the 2nd millennium BC and slightly later, the island was known as The Island of the Magnetes where the Magnetes used to live and later Pelasgia and Dolopia and later Skyros. At 209 km² it is the...
, KasosKasos is a Greek island municipality in the Dodecanese. It is the southernmost island in the Aegean Sea. As of 2001, its population was 990. The island has been called in , . -Geography:...
, Astypalea, AmorgosAmorgos is the easternmost island of the Greek Cyclades island group, and the nearest island to the neighboring Dodecanese island group. Along with several neighboring islets, the largest of which is Nikouria Island, it comprises the municipality of Amorgos, which has a land area of...
, KythiraKythira is an island of Greece, historically part of the Ionian Islands. It lies opposite the eastern tip of the Peloponnese peninsula. It is administratively part of the Piraeus Prefecture although geographically distant from the prefecture's population center...
, KarpathosKarpathos is the second largest of the Greek Dodecanese islands, in the southeastern Aegean Sea. The island is comprised of the municipality of Karpathos plus the community of Olympos. Part of Olympos also extends north to the neighboring Saria Island...
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Douglas DC-6The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with the Lockheed Constellation in the long-range...
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Islands of Greece |
RhodesRhodes is a Greek island approximately southwest of Turkey in eastern Aegean Sea...
, CorfuCorfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and its northern part lies off the coast of Sarandë, Albania from which it is separated by straits varying in breadth from 3 to 23 km , including one near ancient Butrint, while its southern part lies...
, CreteCrete is the largest of the Greek islands and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea at 8,336 km²...
, Lesvos, ChiosChios is the fifth largest of the Greek islands, situated in the Aegean Sea, seven kilometres off the Asia Minor coast. The island is noted for its strong merchant shipping community, its unique mastic gum and its medieval villages...
, Limnos, SamosSamos is a Greek island in the North Aegean sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the coast of Asia Minor.-Geography:...
, KosKos or Cos is a Greek island in the south Sporades group of the Dodecanese, next to the Gulf of Gökova/Cos. It measures by , and is from the coast of Bodrum, Turkey and the ancient region of Caria. The island has both fertile plains and mountainous highlands with a population of 30,947...
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NAMC YS-11The NAMC YS-11 is a turboprop airliner built by a Japanese consortium, the Nihon Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation. The program was initiated by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in 1954: the aircraft was rolled out in 1962, and production ceased in 1974.To date, the YS-11 is the...
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Islands of Greece |
Kephalonia, IthacaIthaca or Ithaka is an island located in the Ionian Sea, in Greece, with an area of 45 square miles and a little more than three thousand inhabitants. It is an independent municipality of the Kefallinia Prefecture, and lies off the northeast coast of Kefalonia...
, Samothraki, ZakynthosZakynthos , the third largest of the Ionian Islands, covers an area of and its coastline is roughly in length. The island is named after Zakynthos, the son of a legendary Arcadian chief Dardanus. The name, like all similar names ending in -nthos, is pre-Mycenaean or Pelasgian in origin...
, DelosThe island of Delos , isolated in the centre of the roughly circular ring of islands called the Cyclades, near Mykonos, is one of the most important mythological, historical and archaeological sites in Greece...
, AndrosAndros, or Andro , an island of the Greek archipelago, the most northerly of the Cyclades, approximately 10 km south east of Euboea, and about north of Tinos. It is nearly long, and its greatest breadth is . Its surface is for the most part mountainous, with many fruitful and well-watered valleys...
, KalymnosKalymnos, is a Greek island and municipality in the southeastern Aegean Sea. It belongs to the Dodecanese and is located to the west of the peninsula of Bodrum , between the islands of Kos and Leros : the latter is linked to it through a series of islets...
, MilosMilos , formerly known as Μῆλος – Melos, and before the Athenian massacre and recolonization in 416 BC as Μάλος – Malos, is a volcanic Greek island in the Sea of Crete, just south of the Aegean Sea....
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Shorts 330The Short 330 is a small transport aircraft created by Short Brothers. It seats up to 30 people and was relatively inexpensive and cheap to operate at the time of its introduction in 1976. The 330 was based on the SC.7 Skyvan....
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Islands of Greece |
PatmosPatmos is a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea. One of the northernmost islands of the Dodecanese complex, it has a population of 2,984 and an area of 34.05 km . The highest point is Profitis Ilias, 269 meters above sea level. The Municipality of Patmos, which includes the offshore islands of...
, KastelorizoKastelorizo, , is a small Greek island and municipality located in the southeastern Mediterranean. It lies roughly off the south coast of Turkey, about east of Rhodes, almost halfway between Rhodes and Antalya....
, ParosParos is an island of Greece in the central Aegean Sea. One of the Cyclades island group, it lies to the west of Naxos, from which it is separated by a channel about wide. It lies approximately south-east of Piraeus. Today, Paros is one of the most popular European tourist hotspots...
, Naxos, MilosMilos , formerly known as Μῆλος – Melos, and before the Athenian massacre and recolonization in 416 BC as Μάλος – Malos, is a volcanic Greek island in the Sea of Crete, just south of the Aegean Sea....
, TinosTinos is a Greek island situated in the Aegean Sea. It is located in the Cyclades archipelago. In ancient times, Tinos was also known as Ophiussa and Hydroessa . The closest islands are Andros, Delos, and Mykonos...
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| Shorts Skyvan |
Islands of Greece |
Mykonos Mykonos is a Greek island and a tourist destination, renowned for its cosmopolitan character and its intense nightlife. The island is part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. It spans an area of and rises at an elevation of at its highest point. The island is composed...
, SkiathosSkiathos , Latin forms: Sciathos and Sciathus is a small island in the Aegean Sea belonging to Greece. Skiathos is the westernmost island in the Northern Sporades group of islands. The mainland of Greece and Magnesia lie to the west, while the island of Skopelos lies to the east...
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IslanderThe Islander was the 34-foot yawl that Harry Pidgeon sailed around the world single-handed, becoming the second person to do so after Joshua Slocum....
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Islands of Greece |
Kythira Kythira is an island of Greece, historically part of the Ionian Islands. It lies opposite the eastern tip of the Peloponnese peninsula. It is administratively part of the Piraeus Prefecture although geographically distant from the prefecture's population center...
/Νήσος Κύθηρα, KarpathosKarpathos is the second largest of the Greek Dodecanese islands, in the southeastern Aegean Sea. The island is comprised of the municipality of Karpathos plus the community of Olympos. Part of Olympos also extends north to the neighboring Saria Island...
/Νήσος Κάρπαθος |
Aerospatiale Super FrelonThe Aérospatiale SA 321 Super Frelon is a three-engined heavy transport helicopter produced by Aérospatiale of France. The helicopter is still in use in China where the locally produced version is known as the Z-8...
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HermesHermes is the Messenger of the gods in Greek mythology as well as a guide to the Underworld. An Olympian god, he is also the patron of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of thieves and road travelers, of orators and wit, of literature and poets, of...
/Ερμής |
Aircraft registrations
The registration of all Olympic aircraft is a two-letter Greek prefix SX- and three more letters. The first of the three letters shows the number of engines (B: Two engines, C: Three engines, D: Four engines). The second letter shows the type of the aircraft (A: Douglas DC-3, etc.) and the third is the number of the aircraft in letters.
Some exceptions are the Boeing 747 (where the first two letters are the IATA designator of Olympic: OA) and the Learjet 25 SX-ASO (which stands for Onassis' initials: Aristotle Socrates Onassis)
Codeshare agreements
Olympic Airlines had the following codeshare agreements:
- Cyprus Airways
Cyprus Airways is the national airline of Cyprus, based in Nicosia. It operates scheduled services to over 30 destinations in Europe, the Middle East and the Gulf...
connects Athens and Thessaloniki with Larnaca and Athens with PaphosPaphos Paphos Paphos (Paphos is usually written Paphos, Pafos or Paphus in English, Ancient Greek: ; Modern Greek: Πάφος, Páfos; Latin: Paphus, and for a time, Augusta; Turkish...
.
- Aerosvit Airlines
CJSC "Aircompany "Aerosvit" , operating as Aerosvit-Ukrainian Airlines is an airline based in Kiev, Ukraine. It is the largest Ukrainian carrier, operating scheduled domestic services to 11 cities and international services directly or by codeshare to 20 destinations in Europe...
connects Athens with KievKiev or Kyiv , is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300...
and OdessaOdessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .Odessa was founded by Hacı I Giray, the Khan of Crimea, in 1240...
.
- Air Malta
Air Malta plc is the national airline of Malta, headquartered in Luqa. It operates services to 36 destinations in Europe and North Africa. The airline's hub and base is at Malta International Airport.- History :...
connects Athens with MaltaMalta , officially the Republic of Malta , is a densely populated developed European country in the European Union. The Southern European island nation is an archipelago that includes the inhabited islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino, along with a number of smaller, uninhabited islands...
.
- Czech Airlines
Czech Airlines j.s.c. , trading as Czech Airlines , is the Czech national airline company based at Ruzyně Airport, Prague. It operates scheduled services to 69 destinations in 41 countries, including most major European cities and to transit points in the Middle East, North America, North Africa...
connects Athens and Thessaloniki with PraguePrague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Nicknames for Prague have included "the mother of cities" , "city of a hundred spires", or Stověžatá Praha in Czech and "the golden city" or Zlaté město in Czech.Situated on the River Vltava in central Bohemia, Prague has been the...
.
- Egypt Air connects Athens with Alexandria
Alexandria , with a population of 4.1 million, is the second-largest city in Egypt, and is the country's largest seaport, serving about 80% of Egypt's imports and exports...
.
- Kuwait Airways
Kuwait Airways is the nationalairline of Kuwait, based in Kuwait City and wholly owned by the Kuwaiti Government. It operates scheduled international services throughout the Middle East, to the Indian subcontinent, Europe, Southeast Asia and North America. Its main base is Kuwait International...
connects Athens with KuwaitThe State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab emirate bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south and Iraq to the north and west. The greatest distance from north to south is 200 km and from east to west 170 km . The name is a diminutive of an Arabic word meaning "fortress built near water." It has a...
.
Logo
The first logo of the airline was a white eagle, bearing a resemblance to a propeller, featuring five rings and the name
Olympic. Just two years after the first flight, Onassis asked his associates to design a new logo and the coloured rings were created. Onassis wanted to copy the five coloured rings of the
Olympic emblemEach Olympic Games has its own Olympic emblem, which is a design integrating the Olympic rings with one or more distinctive elements. They are created and proposed by the Organising Committee of the Olympic Games or the National Olympic Committee of the host country...
, but the
International Olympic CommitteeThe International Olympic Committee is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas on 23 June 1894. Its membership consists of the 205 National Olympic Committees....
claimed the rights to the emblem, so a new, six ring logo was introduced. The first five rings stand for the five continents, while the sixth stands for Greece. Colours used were yellow, red, blue and white.
The new logo for Olympic air has been selected among three proposals by an online vote which was open until July 5, 2009 on
oalogo.gr. All proposals were expected to keep the six circles and were called to modernize the look of the existing logo. The logo that was finally selected is a bevel version of the existing logo and font, with the only exception that green has replaced the light blue on some circles. Green along with blue is one of MIG's corporate colors (as seen on Marfin Egnatia bank's logo for example) and was thus also used per request by MIG on the new uniforms too.
Other
- The Olympic name came as a result of Onassis' passion for ancient Greece. Many of his companies carried the Olympic name such as Olympic Maritime. He followed the same naming pattern for his ships (with names such as "Olympic Legacy", "Olympic Palm", "Olympic Explorer", etc.)
- According to OA regulations, all male flight attendants must wear a black tie, thus paying tribute to the late Alexander Onassis
Alexander S. Onassis was the only son of Aristotle Onassis and Athina Livanos , also known as Tina. He had one sibling, Christina Onassis, the mother of Athina.- Early life :...
.
- Uniforms for OA flight attendants were created by famous fashion designers. The first uniform was designed by Jean Desses
Jean Dessès , was a world leading fashion designer in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. His designs reflected the influences of his travels, specializing in creating draped evening gowns in chiffon and mousseline, based on early Greek and Egyptian robes.-Biography:Born Jean Dimitre Verginie in...
in 1957, followed by uniforms designed by Coco ChanelGabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel was a pioneering French fashion designer whose modernist philosophy, menswear-inspired fashions, and pursuit of expensive simplicity made her an important figure in 20th-century fashion. She was the founder of the famous fashion brand Chanel...
(1966 - 1969), Pierre CardinPierre Cardin is an Italian-born French fashion designer, who was born on July 7, 1922, at San Biagio di Callalta near Treviso.Cardin was known for his avant-garde style and his space age designs. He prefers geometric shapes and motifs, often ignoring the female form. He advanced into unisex...
(1969 - 1971), Giannis Tseklenis (1971 - 1976), Roula Stathi (1976 - 1981), Billy Bo (1981 - 1987), Aspasia Gerel (1987 - 1992), Makis Tselios (1992 - 1998) and Artisti Italiani (1998 - present).
Incidents and accidents
- 29 October 1959: a Douglas Aircraft Company
The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, based in Long Beach, California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas. It is currently a part of Boeing's Commercial Airplanes...
DC-3 crashed near Athens, Greece. All 15 passengers and all 3 crew members perished.
- 8 December 1969: a Douglas DC-6
The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with the Lockheed Constellation in the long-range...
crashed near Keratea, Athens, Greece. All 85 passengers and all 5 crew members were killed.
- 18 February 1972: an Olympic Aviation Learjet crashed off the coast of Monte Carlo. Both crew members were killed.
- 21 October 1972: a NAMC
The Nihon Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation , or NAMC, was the manufacturer of Japan's only successful civilian airliner, the YS-11.- History :...
YS-11 crashed off the coast of Voula, Athens, Greece drowning 36 passengers and 1 crew member , while 16 passengers and 3 crew members were rescued.
- 23 November 1976: an NAMC YS-11
The NAMC YS-11 is a turboprop airliner built by a Japanese consortium, the Nihon Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation. The program was initiated by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in 1954: the aircraft was rolled out in 1962, and production ceased in 1974.To date, the YS-11 is the...
crashed near Kozani, Greece. All 46 passengers and 4 crew members perished.
- 3 August 1989: an Olympic Aviation Shorts
Short Brothers plc is a British aerospace company, usually referred to simply as Shorts, that is now based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Founded in 1908, Shorts was the first true aviation company in the world, and was a manufacturer of flying boats during the 1920s and 1930s and throughout the...
330The Short 330 is a small transport aircraft created by Short Brothers. It seats up to 30 people and was relatively inexpensive and cheap to operate at the time of its introduction in 1976. The 330 was based on the SC.7 Skyvan....
crashed near Samos Airport, Greece. All 31 passengers and 3 crew members were killed.
- 4 January 1998: a passenger on Olympic Airways Flight 417
On 4 January 1998, Dr Abid Hanson, a passenger on Olympic Airways Flight 417 from Cairo via Athens to New York City died following exposure to second hand smoke....
died of an allergic reaction to cigarette smoke when a flight attendant, against policy, refused to change his seat. The airline banned all smoking from 15 April 2001.
External links