Astra Airlines
Greek airline (2008–2019)
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Astra Airlines was a Greek regional airline headquartered in Thessaloniki and based at Thessaloniki International Airport.
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| Founded | 2008 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Commenced operations | July 5, 2008 | ||||||
Ceased operations | 18 November 2019 | ||||||
| AOC # | GR-028[3] | ||||||
| Hubs | Thessaloniki International Airport | ||||||
| Focus cities | Athens International Airport | ||||||
| Astra Miles[4] | |||||||
| Fleet size | 4 | ||||||
| Destinations | 37 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Thessaloniki, Greece | ||||||
| Key people | Ioannis Zlatanis (Chairman) | ||||||
| Website | astra-airlines | ||||||
History
The carrier was founded by Ioannis Zlatanis, founder of Interaviator Ltd, and Anastasios Zirinis, former CEO of Olympic Aviation. It launched operations on 5 July 2008, flying from Thessaloniki to Rhodes.[5]
On 9 November 2019, it was reported that Astra Airlines faced severe financial difficulties and was searching for an investor to maintain its current operations.[6] The airline grounded all flights on the same day until further notice.[citation needed] On 14 November 2019, IATA announced that it had suspended the airline and warned Greek travel agents to stop selling tickets on the airline with immediate effect.[7]
On 18 November 2019, it was reported that the airline would not resume operations for good.[8]
Destinations
As of May 2016, Astra Airlines served the following destinations[9]
| Country | City/Region | Airport | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | Munich | Munich Airport | Seasonal |
| Greece | Athens | Athens International Airport | Focus City |
| Chios | Chios Island National Airport | ||
| Corfu | Corfu International Airport | ||
| Heraklion | Heraklion International Airport | ||
| Ikaria | Ikaria Island National Airport | ||
| Kalamata | Kalamata International Airport | ||
| Karpathos | Karpathos Island National Airport | Seasonal | |
| Kastoria | Kastoria National Airport | ||
| Kithira | Kithira Island National Airport | Seasonal | |
| Kos | Kos Island International Airport | ||
| Kozani | Kozani National Airport | ||
| Lemnos | Lemnos International Airport | ||
| Milos | Milos Island National Airport | Seasonal | |
| Mykonos | Mykonos Island National Airport | Seasonal | |
| Mytilene | Mytilene International Airport | ||
| Samos | Samos International Airport | ||
| Santorini | Santorini (Thira) National Airport | Seasonal | |
| Sitia | Sitia Public Airport | ||
| Thessaloniki | Thessaloniki International Airport | Hub | |
| Zakynthos | Zakynthos International Airport | Seasonal | |
| Israel | Tel Aviv | Ben Gurion Airport | Seasonal Charter |
Fleet
As of August 2019, the Astra Airlines fleet consisted of the following aircraft:[10]
| Aircraft | In fleet | On order | Passengers | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | |||||
| ATR 42-300 | 2 | — | 0 | 48 | 48 | ||
| ATR 72-200 | 1 | — | 0 | 70 | 70 | ||
| BAe 146-300 | 1 | — | 0 | 112 | 112 | ||
| Total | 4 | — | |||||
