Inaugural Shanghai-Athens direct flight strengthens cultural and economic ties

The first direct flight route between Shanghai and Athens officially opened on April 2.

The outbound flight HO1657 is scheduled to take off from Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 1:55am Beijing time and arrive at Athens Venizeros International Airport at 8:55am local time, while the return flight HO1658 is scheduled to take off at 1:45pm and return to Pudong at 5:05am the next day.

This route has been prepared for nearly six years, during which Hellas Group in Changning, along with various strategic partners, has spared no effort in ensuring the smooth launch of this direct flight.

Hellas Group is dedicated to promoting "the best of Greece" to the global market and serves as a "bridge" for economic and trade exchanges as well as cultural and tourism interactions between China and Greece. The group will continue to provide commercial and market support for the operation of this route.

Tan Feng, vice president of Juneyao Airlines, said that the "Shanghai-Athens" direct flight route commenced on April 2, offering three round trips per week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. This service aims to facilitate passenger travel to various destinations in Europe, providing services such as luggage check through and transit accommodation arrangements. In the future, Juneyao Airlines and Hellas Group will collaborate to introduce more Greek-themed products.

The Athens Municipal Government said that this direct flight will contribute to the development of cultural exchange, tourism and regional cooperation between the two major cities. In 2019, Athens welcomed over 200,000 Chinese tourists and looks forward to setting new records with the opening of this direct flight.

Athens International Airport announced plans to establish information channels through their WeChat official account and add Chinese language to their official website. By releasing firsthand information in Chinese, they aim to make Chinese tourists feel at home.