With increasing demand for flights to Greece, followed by Spain and Italy, Austrian Airlines is increasing flight capacities to Heraklion, Crete. Since May, demand for travel to Heraklion has tripled, so the carrier will add a Boeing 777 on the route on Saturdays.
Today (July 5, 2021), Austrian Airlines announced that due to increasing summer demand to Heraklion, Crete, they will complement existing services with a long-haul Boeing 777 flight on Saturdays from July 24th through September 4th. Demand for flights to Heraklion have tripled since May, followed by strong demand for travel to Rhodes and Kos, as well as to Spain and Italy. To date, Austrian has recorded 96,000 passengers on flights to Greece for July and August, with a current load factor of 80 percent. By deploying a Boeing 777 on the Vienna-Heraklion route, the airline will add around 100 seats on Saturdays, while on all other days, the service will be operated with an Airbus A320.
In Monday’s announcement, Austrian Airlines’ CCO, Michael Trestl, said,
“The Austrians desire to travel is increasing every day. In order to be able to meet the travel needs of our passengers, we are constantly adapting our offer. In particular, the booking figures for flights to Heraklion on Crete tripled between mid-May and the end of June. We are responding to the increased demand and are increasing capacity on this route.”
The Saturday 777 flight to Heraklion, OS9001, departs Vienna at 06:10 and arrives in Crete at 08:40. The return flight, OS9002, departs Crete at 10:20 and arrives in Vienna at 12:55. The 777 service will operate for seven consecutive Saturdays, including September 4, 2021.
Austrian Airlines reminds guests to familiarize themselves with destination entry requirements before traveling. For travel to Greece, online registration is required at least 24 hours before entry. Additionally, a negative antigen test (no older than 48 hours), or a negative PCR test (maximum 72 hours old), is required for all travelers over the age of 12. For customers who have completed their full COVID-19 vaccine regimen at least 14 days prior to entry, no test is required.
Source: Austrian Airlines