PHOTOS: Aegean Airlines touches down in Skopje

Aegean Airlines resumed flights between Athens and Skopje yesterday evening after more than a decade with a two weekly service on board its Bombardier Dash 8 turboprop aircraft operated by subsidiary Olympic Air. Among the passengers on board was Macedonia's Deputy Prime Minister, Bujar Osmani, who, in a series of tweets on Thursday, said that Greece had become "our greatest ally" and that the "re-establishment of the air corridor" was a symbol of improved relations. The General Manager of airport operator TAV Macedonia, Alper Ersoy, said, "We are happy to announce the resumption of nonstop flights between Athens and Skopje. We believe this will further contribute to the development and improvement of economic relations between the two countries. The direct flights between Skopje and Athens will be beneficial not only for business travellers, but for tourists and the entire tourism industry as well, since both countries have much to offer". Aegean Airlines' Ground Operations Director, Panos Nicolaidis added, "This new service has been launched in order to satisfy market demand, but also to serve the Greek community based in Skopje. I hope this service will be successful and that the new nonstop flights will set the stage for new opportunities for trade, tourism and cultural exchange between the two countries. I am sure that the new flights will also contribute to expanding cooperation in a way that benefits both economies".