Getting around the Greek islands just got easier thanks to a new Greek seaplane service.
Island-hopping holidays in the Ionian and Aegean are legendary ways to enjoy summer, but anyone who has schlepped their way from the busy Athenian port of Piraeus to Santorini, Crete, Mykonos and beyond will know that while the ferry service can be a romantic way to travel, it can eat up a lot of your holiday time.
Those transfer times will be reduced to a fraction of what they once were, thanks to the Hellenic Seaplanes service that launched in April 2014.
The company will operate its first ten routes in 19-seater Canadian-made Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft, from mainland hubs in Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras and Volos – with further island hubs in Crete, Santorini, Kos, and Mylos.
By the end of 2014, the company plans to establish a hundred hydrodromes, or floating piers, around the coastlines of Greece offering easier access to the islands, even in the famed strong meltemi winds which often see ferry services cancelled.
