Excess of Air Traffic Volume to Crete

[IMG=20524-6259] The Cretan destination is still experiencing changes within the charter programs. According to tour operators, for example, on July 24th IntAir, Megapolus Aviacharter and Russian Charter Center combined their flights thus instead of four flights two were operated to the Cretan destination. Moreover, on the same day VKO travel and Labyrinth cancelled their flight by KD-avia. Travel market experts do not exclude the necessity to optimize further air traffic to the destination – on July 27th and 30th, in particular. Alexey Molokanov, General Director of Russian Charter Center, said: ‘at the moment it is not clear whether the reduction of air traffic volume will be necessary for these dates’. Meanwhile, instability of the destination is explained not only by excessive supply that provoked the situation when minimum price for tour packages to Crete (300 Euro, 2*, 7 days) is practically equal to the flight cost ($310) but also by the situation in the Greek Consulate. We remind you that the move of the Consulate to the new office will finish on July 25th. As a result for three days the Consulate did not accept visa applications. Revaz Mgeladze, General Director of Zeus Travel, commented as follows: ‘that resulted into certain problems for flights to Crete from regional airports owing increase of visa issuing period. Several days were added to three days of preparation of documents in the Consulate and three days for document shipment to tourists. Moreover, it coincided with the current not high demand for the destination’. According to Anatoly Garkushin, General Director of Pantheon, reduction of air traffic volume is likely to be adopted on July 27th because of the move of the Consulate to the new office that provoked the reduction of the period of active sales for this date in travel companies. Meanwhile, Elena Komarova, Tourism Director of IntAir, believes that the situation will soon stabilize: ‘We have many bookings for July 30th and tours with a flight on August 6th and 13th are booked well’. However, travel market players might face another problem in high season – shortage of quotas in popular Cretan hotels, experts forecast.