Εasyjet has announced the cancellation of scheduled flights from Naples and Milan to Sitia. Starting in June and until the end of August, ΕasyJet had scheduled three flights on a weekly basis, two from Naples and one from Milan to Sitia Airport.
This update was made just five days before the imminent start of flights. The Mayor of Sitia, Mr. George Zervakis, said that the cancellation issue concerned the absence of protection measures for wild birds identified during the company’s autopsy, raising safety issues for its flights.
This decision for Sitia brought disappointment, as expectations had been created for the development of the local economy.
Last winter, the Italian media advertised Sitia as a new tourist destination for EasyJet. In fact, a publication described the beauties of the area and the scheduled flights to Italian airports, stating: “The airport of Sitia, overlooking the northeast coast of the island, enters the network of the orange company and from June 24 and 29 respectively, it is approached with direct flights from both Naples and Milan – Malpensa. The island will be connected to the capital of Campania with two weekly flights every Monday and Friday and to Milan Airport with a weekly flight every Saturday.”
According to official data, the airport recorded a 101% increase in passenger arrivals in May, a 66% increase in departures, and an overall 83% increase in the total number of passengers for 2024 compared to 2023 in domestic flights. May 2024 saw the highest number of domestic passengers in nine years with over 3,800 passengers, surpassing the previous record set in 2023.
For the first quarter of 2024, the total number of passengers at Sitia Airport amounted to 6,952 passengers, compared to 3,607 passengers in the corresponding period of 2023, achieving an increase of 87% year-on-year.
