With the aim of significantly improving and facilitating the travel experience for cruise passengers arriving to / departing by air from Athens, Athens International Airport (AIA) offers since June 7, 2024 the possibility of an off-airport check-in process, connecting the Athens International Airport with the Cruise Terminal at the Port of Piraeus, in collaboration with the ground handling operators Skyserv and Swissport Greece, as well as the contribution of the Piraeus Port Authority.
With cruise passenger traffic numbers on the rise, especially in the last two years, this service is expected to have a positive impact, both in speeding up and simplifying airport check-in procedures, and in improving the experience of cruise passengers who can reach their next destination stress-free and, at the same time, plan ideally their time in Athens. Especially on the day of departure, passengers will be able to make short excursions in or in the vicinity of Attica, or a visit to the centre of Athens, with a corresponding positive effect on their decision to visit the city again, either exclusively or combined, i.e. before continuing to another destination within our country.
According to the “off airport check-in” procedures, upon arrival in Athens, cruise passengers will directly board a coach to be transferred to the cruise ship, while Skyserv and Swissport Greece will manage in parallel, but independently, their luggage with trucks that will enter the apron next to the aircraft. Likewise, when leaving the country, cruise ship passengers will receive their flight boarding pass upon exiting the ship, greatly simplifying the departure process, and saving more free time during their stay. At the same time, the checked in luggage will be transported from Piraeus by trucks directly to the airport apron, where they will be loaded onto the aircraft after the necessary X-ray security check.
Alexios Sioris, AIA’s Manager, Ground Handling & Cargo Development, said: “We are particularly happy about this new off-airport check-in process, as it already contributes to decongesting the passenger terminal during peak hours, thus improving the travel experience of cruise passengers and the general travelling public. At the same time, this new service, following the track of the freight connection between the airport and the Port of Piraeus since 2008 (SeanAirgy), is an example of a cooperative approach of all those involved: Athens International Airport in the role of coordinator, the Piraeus Port Authority, the ground handling operators, as well as the State Authorities, namely, the Civil Aviation Authority and the Customs Control service, who embraced the project from the first moment accepting the application of simplified procedures, always within the framework of the current legislation. Our ultimate goal is to expand the scope to a greater number of cruise passengers arriving to and departing from the Athens International Airport.”
Yiannis Zermas, General Manager of Swissport Greece, commented: “At Swissport Greece we make use of the experience we have gained over many years in certain island destinations in Greece, in relation to the service of passengers and the management of their luggage, whether in selected luxury hotels, or in ports with cruise traffic. This pioneering service was the only way to successfully address the particularly high seasonal passenger traffic at some regional airports. In the case of Athens, both the number and dispersion of luxury hotel units, as well as their significant distance from the Athens Airport, had not created the conditions for the regular use of this service by a significant part of the passenger public. However, the impressive – post-pandemic – increase in AIA’s passenger traffic, combined with the recent rapid growth and “record” arrivals of cruise passengers in Athens in 2023, made it imperative to seek the immediate application of the relevant tested model, between AIA and at the cruise terminals of the Piraeus Port Authority.”
Nikolaos Grylos, Commercial Director of Skyserv, said: “We are very happy to have contributed to the realization of this new venture. It is worth noting that Skyserv, from the first moment, took care of securing all the necessary approvals provided for, in order to respond to the need of check-in at the Port of Piraeus. Quick reflexes as well as flexibility were demonstrated, as the company adopted this specific procedure within just a few months, contributing from its part to a comfortable and fast travel experience, which clearly contributes to creating an overall positive experience in our country, while at the same time significantly increasing the possibility that travellers will again choose Greece as a destination.”
The article “Off airport check-in” for cruise passengers, a new service of Athens International Airport first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.
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