Liagos said that the project will "exceed by far" its original budget at 130 million euros due to price hikes in energy and construction materials following regional geopolitical developments. The search for funds may include bank borrowing, as ThPA has zero outstanding loans, and investing its own capital, as its cash resources total 95.2 million euros, Liagos told the assembly meeting. The assembly also heard that an outstanding issue since 1920 on a piece of land lying between the port's land side and the Thessaloniki municipality has been resolved by the city positively. A new 11-member board was elected on Friday as well, with three new members and a five-year term of all.

Chairman Eftychis Vassilakis said after the annual general assembly that Aegean had met all its obligations, direct or in loans, to the State (such as warrants) and proposed the distribution of a divident for 2023 of 0.75 euros per share, for a total of 67.625 million euros.

Buses, trolleys Holy Friday (May 3): All vehicles to follow "Saturday" schedules Holy Saturday (May 4): All vehicles to start withdrawing earlier, in order to be at depots by 23:00 Easter Sunday (May 5): All vehicles to follow "Sunday & Holiday" schedules Easter Monday (May 6): All vehicles to follow "Sunday & Holiday" schedules Easter Tuesday (May 7): All vehicles to follow "Sunday & Holiday" schedules Easter Wednesday (May 8): All vehicles to follow "Saturday" schedules Depending on demand, schedules will be added as necessary to bus and Athens Metro lines serving the Athens International Airport, the KTEL intercity bus stations at Kifissos and Liossion Avenues, and the Port of Piraeus. Athens Metro, tram Athens Metro Lines 1, 2, and 3 and the tram will follow the Easter schedule at the link below, from Holy Friday to Wednesday after Easter inclusive: ΣΥΧΝΟΤΗΤΕΣ ΔΡΟΜΟΛΟΓΙΩΝ ΜΕΤΡΟ & ΤΡΑΜ ΤΗΝ ΠΕΡΙΟΔΟ ΤΟΥ ΠΑΣΧΑ (3-8 ΜΑΪΟΥ 2024) or at Stasy.gr (in Greek). The last trains on Holy Saturday will start at the following times, per line: - Metro Line 1 (Piraeus-Kifissia, and Kifissia-Piraeus) at 22:20. - Metro Line 2, from Anthoupoli at 22:46, and from Elliniko at 22:43. - Metro Line 3, from Doukissis Plakentias 22:42, and from Dimotiko Theatro (Piraeus) 22:39 - Metro from 'Syntagma' station to all directions, at 23:00. - From the Airport at 22:22 and from Dimotiko Theatro (Piraeus) to the Airport at 21:43. - Tram Line 6 from Pikrodafni at 22:00 and from Syntagma at 22:45. - Tram Line 7 from Kalamaki at 22:07 and from Agia Triada (Piraeus) at 22:43. - Tram Lines 6 & 7 (switching at Pikrodafni): from Syntagma to Kalamaki at 22:30 and from Kalamaki to Syntagma at 21:52. From Agia Triada to Syntagma at 21:28, and from Agia Triada to Syntagma at 21:30.

The massively increased traffic for this Easter, higher than last year’s, also practically coincides with the start of the summer season for a very large part of the seasonal hotels which start opening from Wednesday, May 1. By the first week of June, the vast majority of Greek seasonal hotels are expected to have opened their doors. Meanwhile, international inbound traffic has been growing steadily, with available air seats in April up 12.2% and for May the picture points to a 15.1% increase, according to the Airdata figures tracker of the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (INSETE). Athens and Thessaloniki have experienced a historically high increase in inbound tourism, with the capital now becoming an established 12-month destination and its major hotels reporting occupancy approaching 100%. In the rest of Greece, hotel reservations during this holiday season are particularly high, with occupancy reaching an average of 80%, according to the general secretary of the Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers, Angelos Kallias. “There is still a limited number of available beds, but not at all destinations, since many seasonal hotels have not yet opened,” he notes. This year is therefore registering a dynamic start, prescribing positive indications for the summer season, notes the general director of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE), Maria Gatsou, explaining that in the first quarter 1.6 million international air arrivals were recorded, plus 1.1 million road arrivals, with travel receipts for January and February amounting to 570 million euros and showing an increase of 24.5% compared to the corresponding period of 2023. “Building on the milestone year of 2023, Hellenic tourism has the conditions, the maturity, and the plan to continue to play a leading role and contribute to the economy, society and the environment,” she underlines. 

In particular, the Buses on Holy Wednesday will run between 9:00 a.m. – 21:00, as announced by the OASA Workers' Union. The restoration of bus traffic is expected after 10:00 am. while the last routes will take place from 20:00 or earlier. Itineraries are normally expected to run on the urban lines taken over by KTEL. 24-hour strike on fixed-track vehicles and trains The drivers of the metro, trains, trams and electric trains are also participating in the strike mobilizations of the GSEE, as the working drivers have announced that they will participate in the strike mobilizations of the GSEE. In its announcement, the Panhellenic Federation of Railways and Fixed Track Vehicles pays tribute to the people who lost their lives in Chicago, claiming humane working conditions and refers to the industry's demands. Among other things, they demand the immediate recruitment of permanent staff, the reinstatement of the Collective Labor Agreements, the re-operation of the railway network throughout Greece and the upgrading of the rolling stock, as well as justice for the accident in Tempi. The announcement of the Panhellenic Federation of Railways and Fixed Track Vehicles: The Panhellenic Federation of Railways and Fixed Track Vehicles unanimously decided to participate in the 24-hour nationwide strike announced by the G.S.E.E. for M. Wednesday 1 May 2024. We honor Labor Day by paying tribute to the dead workers of CHICAGO who fought for labor rights by sacrificing their lives to improve the lives of generations to come, forever. This year's May Day finds workers and retirees facing an unprecedented crisis of living, fighting for a decent life, fighting for the self-evident as conquests of years are affected, in almost all levels of our lives. That is why we are all called to continue our struggle more vigorously for dignity, equality, for a life without job insecurity, without punctuality, with respect for health, education, our social security rights, our income, our conquests . Stop the impoverishment of workers. As workers we will fight for the productive reconstruction of the country against the applied benefit policies. As Railwaymen we continue to demand and request: Direct recruitment of permanent staff with stable work. Restoring the free negotiations of our Collective Bargaining Agreements. Increases in wages to deal with the crisis and the cost of living. Re-operation of the railway network throughout Greece. Upgrading rolling stock. Complete restoration of the infrastructure - facilities affected by the natural disasters (e.g. Volos Factory, etc.). Better working conditions everywhere. Complete clarification and rendering of justice for the tragic accident in TEMPI. The Panhellenic Federation of Railways and Fixed Track Vehicles and all Railwaymen will not stop demanding and asking for a Public, Safe, Quality Railway for workers and passengers. We participate in the 24-hour general strike on WEDNESDAY MAY 1, 2024, and WE CALL our Member Unions, the Railway Workers, to be actively present at the GSEE gathering in Klathmonos Square (Athens), at 11.00, as well as at the gatherings that will be held against places Labor Centers and Federation of the country.  

Labor unions representing Athens Urban Transport Organisation (OASA) and the Union of Workers in Electric Buses of Athens & Piraeus Area (ILPAP) have declared they will participate by operating only from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm on Holy Wednesday. Specifically, city buses and trolleys will strike from the beginning of the shift until 09:00 in the morning and again from 21:00 until the shift's end. It is expected that intercity bus services (KTEL) will carry out their regular schedules during this time, while the urban railway (proastiakos) and intercity train schedules will also be affected. The Athens Metro lines 1, 2 and 3 (including the electric train) and trams will not operate on Wednesday, while ships will also remain docked, as the latter announced on April 24.

Starting last week, a pilot project for contactless payments via bank cards and digital wallets launched on Athens International Airport’s (AIA) Express bus lines. The system reads cards or digital wallets, charging fares directly. By 2024, contactless transactions will expand to all OASA public transport. The initiative aims to simplify fare payment, eliminating the need for ticket purchases from vending machines. 

Speaking at the conference “Greece Talks_Thessaloniki: Thessaloniki on the tourist map,” he referred to initiatives to increase the air connections between the US and Greece, and clarified that “We are pressing on this, not only to increase them, but to bring them to Thessaloniki as well.” He stressed that United Airlines would be the most likely candidate airline to do so, due to the connectivity that is necessary, that is, people coming from the US, going to Thessaloniki and then able to travel to the Balkans. Tsunis further noted that there are no flights from Miami, Texas, Seattle, San Francisco, Silicon Valley and the second largest market in the US, Los Angeles. He emphasized that continuous investments should be made in airports and further mentioned the prospect of strengthening the cruise industry. The US ambassador also noted that while Americans have discovered Greece as one of the most popular destinations in the world, but there is also a need to diversify the way they see tourism in Greece. Finally, Tsunis pointed to the need to diversify the tourism season and expand the tourism product, with investments in infrastructure such as golf courses.  

Specifically, from 07:30 to 13:30, there will be gradual and temporary traffic interruptions along the road sections in areas of the Municipalities of Athens, Filothei-Psychiko, Chalandri, Agia Paraskevi, Maroussi and Nea Filadelfeia - Chalkidona.

Ships remained docked at Greek ports and train services were halted as transport workers joined the nationwide strike by private sector union GSEE, Greece's largest. City transport was also disrupted as bus and taxi drivers halted operations for a few hours. Protesters marched to parliament around noon. Some of them held banners reading: "We don’t want breadcrumb increases, we want it all." Since a 2010-18 debt crisis when wages were slashed as part of austerity measures in turn for bailout funds, Greece's economy has been growing at nearly twice the euro zone rate and the country last year regained investment grade status after 13 years in the "junk" category. The monthly minimum gross wage was raised by 6.4% to 830 euros this month, the fourth such rise in five years. But many workers say the pay rises are not enough to keep up with high food prices and soaring rents and wages in Greece still lag behind those of their European colleagues. For younger Greeks, hit by a high unemployment rate, the high cost of living is an additional challenge. "Having such little prospects...and not being able to make ends meet is very hard," said 23-year old university student Elena Roza, one of the protesters. "The reflex reaction is to leave the country." And in a nod to France's overseas territories, surfing events will take place in Teahupoʻo, a village on the coast of Tahiti, an island in French Polynesia. The Greek average monthly salary of 1,175 euros is 20% lower than 15 years ago, while unemployment remains above 10%, the second highest in the European Union behind Spain. Youth unemployment is over 20%. The conservative government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, which won re-election last June, has promised to raise the monthly minimum wage to 950 euros by 2027, when its term ends, and increase the average wage by more than 25% to 1,500 euros in the same period. But GSEE says it wants an immediate increase to 908 euros and wants collective bargaining, which was abolished during the crisis, reinstated. "The high cost of living is a noose around the neck of workers and pensioners. Growth should not only be for a few," said GSEE's Secretary for Public Relations Dimitris Karageorgopoulos.  

The workers are demanding direct hiring and employment contracts and are taking part in the strike against "the wave of austerity and shameful profits that affect the decent lives of millions of low-wage earners and pensioners," as stated in an announcement by the Metro Workers' Union of Athens (SELMA), which calls its members to Klafthmonos Square at 11 a.m. Moreover, the labor union of the Athens Urban Transport Organisation (OASA) on Monday announced its decision to participate in the 24-hour general strike called by GSEE (General Confederation of Greek Workers) with the holding work stoppages on Wednesday. The public transport buses in Athens will operate between 09:00 and 21:00 on that day, with the union demanding public urban transport, collective labour contracts and the hiring of additional staff.  

On the occasion of the inaugural flight, representatives from the Municipality of Athens (This is Athens-CVB), executives from the Athens International Airport, as well as other key players in Athens' tourism market travelled to Shanghai to promote Greece as a top destination to major Chinese travel agents. At a related event held in Shanghai called “ Bridging Cultures in Travel: From Asia to Greece”, the This is Athens-CVB’s team presented the Greek capital to selected travel agents in China and held B2B meetings at the trade event that followed. The event, organized by Hellas Group and My Odyssey Travel, was held at the Hellas House. It is a 1930s building in the heart of Shanghai, that has evolved into a reference point for the cultural and business community of the Chinese city, hosting many important events. Among the passengers on the first flight from Shanghai to Athens were 4 journalists-influencers from China who were hosted in the Greek capital as guests of the Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau (This is Athens-CVB) and the Athens International Airport. As part of the strategy to promote Athens to attract the Chinese market, Athens will take part for the first time in the large tourist exhibition “ ITB China” to be held in Shanghai in May by participating in the Greek National Tourism Organization's (GNTO) stand.