Leros Air Links Under Pressure Ahead of the Tourism Season

They have appeared for about a year nowserious problemson its asphaltrunwayat the airport of Leros, without any substantial rehabilitation intervention having been carried out to date.

This fact causesreasonable concernto the residents and professionals of the island, as the airport ismain gateconnection of Leros with the rest of Greece.

At the same time,particularly limitedremains and onumberofair routes. Although this particular line is subsidized by the state, there does not seem to be any substantial effort toincrease in flightsor to serve the island with a larger aircraft, which could better meet the needs of residents and visitors.

The airport, after all,it does not only serve Leros. It is a key transportation point for both residents and visitorsneighboring islands, such as Patmos and Lipsi, who often use it to travel.

At the same time, we must point out the serious shortages of medical staff that exist in the State Hospital of Leros, which often make it necessary to move residents to larger hospital centres for medical treatment and hospitalization. In such cases the existence of an adequate and reliable air connection is not just a convenience, but a matter of necessity and safety for the local community.

In addition, thenumber of travelersthat move to and from the island aresignificantly larger in recent years,and travel has increased due to the operation of the hot spot, with staff, services and visitors often travelling by air.

The situation during bad weather is also particularly problematic. When the flight is cancelled, the island essentiallyisolatedfrom the rest of Greece. In several casesresidents are forced to wait even three to four daysuntil the next scheduled flight, which creates serious travel and service problems.

It should be noted thatduring the winterthe island was servedjust 2-3 flights a week, number that in no casecannot coverthe needs of the residents.

Particularly problematic is the fact thatin the past there were more routes, while today, although the number of permanent residents has increased significantly and tourism shows a continuous upward trend,air routes are decreasing instead of increasing!

And while we're at itahead of the new tourist season, there doesn't seem to be any real motivation or interestfor the treatmentof the specific issues by the competent bodies. This situation causesintense reflectionboth to the residents and to the professionals of the island, as well assmooth operationof the airport andadequate air connectionconstitutebasic conditionsfor the development of the local economy and tourism.

For all these reasonsis considered necessaryto existimmediate interestby all the competent bodies, both for therepair of asphalt problemsof the runway, as well as for herreinforcement of air routes,as well as for the possible operation of another airline on the line, in order to better serve the needs of residents and visitors.

The air connection of an islandNOTit isLUXURY, but theBASICinfrastructure for everyday life, health, economy and development of an island society.

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