Viking Hellas launches Manchester service to Athens

VIKING Hellas Airlines has launched a new scheduled service from Manchester Airport to Athens.

The service, which will run three times a week, will commence on February 1. Flights will operate from Manchester on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and from Athens to Manchester on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

The airline will increase frequency to four flights weekly by adding a Tuesday departure from Manchester and a Wednesday departure from Athens from March 2010.

Fares for the direct service to Athens will start at £59 one-way, including taxes and charges.

On the same day, Viking Hellas will also commence weekly scheduled services from Athens to the cities of Erbil and Sulaymanyiah in the Kurdish government region of Iraq and the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad. Flights are scheduled to easily connect to and from Manchester services.

Roger Gatt, commercial director of Viking Hellas, said: “We are delighted to be launching our first scheduled services from Manchester and expect the Athens route to be a great success.”

He added: “There is considerable demand for Iraqi services from the UK due to the sizeable expatriate community that currently has very few options to return home; this new service is a lifeline for them.”

Andrew Harrison, Manchester Airport’s commercial director said, “Athens is a strong destination with high year round demand. Viking Hellas will offer a variety of connections ranging from the Greek Islands to several points in Iraq thus giving the North West region an even greater choice.”