Tsipras inaugurates Paros airport

Addressing a ceremony officially opening the new Paros airport, Tsipras noted that the island was a beautiful spot in the heart of the Cyclades island group and also at the heart of the Greek economy's driving force, the tourism industry.
The hardest part of the project had been its final stage, the building of the new terminal, which had to be completed in time for the summer season and was carried out in the space of 102 days, he noted. Now, in spite of Greece's economic difficulties, there was a terminal able to to serve the needs of a modern airport, Tsipras said.
He also held up the new airport as an example of what can be achieved when local people get behind something and there is good cooperation between the state and private sector. The project will financially benefit the state, which will no longer have to pay 4.2 million euros a year to subsidise the low-traffic lines, while there will also be a benefit from the increase in passenger traffic since more than 300 people a day will be able to book cheap tickets in order to reach Paros. Among others, he announced that the savings from the new airport will allow two new helicopters for emergency airlifts.
The prime minister thanked the local community and the ordinary citizens that contributed to the completion of the project, adding that the benefits from the airport will allow its expansion and completion, with the installation of additional equipment. He noted that the terminal facilities will be doubled in size by the end of the year to reach 5,000 square metres, followed by an extension of the runway that will allow Paros to establish direct links with major European urban centres.
Tsipras went on to announce a plan to redesign and reorganise ferry routes to all Greek islands, while at the same time promoting seaplane bases throughout the Aegean in order to boost tourism. The number of visitors to the island was expected to increase by 150,000 a year and the tourist season to be extended, the prime minister added.
Lastly, he noted that the state had an obligation to show sensitivity to the issues affecting islands and needs to implement a programme for the reconstruction of the social state and its structures, especially on islands. He ended by noting that the new airport had only one owner, the islanders themselves, and not any government or minister.