Greek cargo start-up Airgo Airlines ready for take off
Airgo Airlines, a Greek all-cargo start-up, will commence operations this month from its base in Athens International Airport to serve the Balkan and Southeast Mediterranean markets.
Using an eight-ton ATP Freighter aircraft on long-term sub-lease from West Air Sweden — an aircraft that in turn is on long-term lease from BAE Systems — Airgo will initially concentrate on ad hoc cargo flights between Greece, the new accession countries of the European Union in the region such as Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania, and the Balkan states such as the republics of the former Yugoslavia, Albania and also into Turkey. In the medium to long term the new airline intends to work in commercial collaboration with major forwarders and integrators in Greece and in the wider Balkan region.
'There is fast-growing freight traffic in this southeastern European area, but very few air cargo carriers,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Petros Stefanou. “The Balkans and Southeast Mediterranean areas have to be considered as a new emerging niche market for air cargo. Airgo Airlines has been established to accommodate air freight operation in the broader area taking into consideration the geographical position and the proximity of its hub base in Athens.'
