Aegean celebrates inaugural Stansted service

Passengers for the first flight between Stansted Airport and Athens were greeted with champagne and gifts from Aegean Airlines to celebrate the event.

The route, set to fly twice a day from the airport north of London, "provides passengers with a real alternative for their travel to Greece", according to the carrier.

The numbers of passengers using the airline increased by ten per cent in the last year, carrying over a million people in the first three months of this year.

Aegean is currently renewing 27 Airbus A320/A321s. It has already received ten and is planning a further three to be added to its fleet by the end of the year.

The renewal is expected to be complete by 2010, and is the "highest recorded investment in the history of the Greek airline industry", according to the company.

London is one of 12 destinations the carrier currently flies to in Europe; others include Rome, Munich, Milan and Bucharest.

Flights to Athens began on May 15th with a one way ticket costing £67.