Record air traffic for Olympics
A record-breaking 2,462 civil aircraft flew through Greek air space last Thursday, on the eve of the Olympic opening ceremony, the Civil Aviation Authority said yesterday. This figure represents a 45 percent increase on the 1,785 aircraft which flew through national air space on August 12 last year, the authority said. Of the 2,462 flights, 802 had been destined for Athens International Airport, it added, noting that despite the increased volume of air traffic, delays did not exceed one minute. Meanwhile, an average of 30,000 people a day traveled on Athens’s new suburban railway line between Friday, August 13 – the day of the Olympics opening ceremony – and Sunday 15, the company managing the railway line said yesterday. Last Friday night alone, 10,000 passengers used the new route in the afternoon and 15,000 after the ceremony, the firm said. An average of 25,000 people used the route last Monday and Tuesday, it added, noting that the route’s ticket sales have doubled since last week.
