Sky Express (Greece)
Sky Express, legal name Cretan Aeronautical Operations ( ""), is a Greek airline headquartered in Athens International Airport. It was established in 2005 and operates a number of flights, serving 35 domestic and eight international destinations. History. The airline was established in early 2005 by Cpt. Miltiadis Tsagkarakis, a former Olympic Airlines director-general and pilot, and George Mavrantonakis, former Olympic Airlines Chief Operating Officer and Account Manager as well as advisor to the company president. Operations commenced in July 2005, including scheduled, charter, cargo, air taxi, emergency medical services, excursion and sightseeing flights. Sky Express Aircargo was later  established as a joint venture with the Finaval Group and dedicated to cargo transport between Europe and the Far East. In October 2020, the airline placed a firm order for four Airbus A320neo aircraft (the fleet now includes six of them). In addition, the company introduced a new design for their new Airbus aircraft. Logo controversy. The airline's initial logo was inspired by the flag of the Cretan State, a semi-independent state under the Ottoman Empire. The flag of the Cretan State was composed of a white cross extending to the edges of the flag, with the upper -hoist canton in red, featuring a white star symbolizing Ottoman sovereignty on the island, and the other squares in blue, symbolizing the Greeks of Crete. The flag has also been adopted as a symbol of the Cretan independence pseudo-movement. The logo was not well-received, and following complaints by the public in Greece, especially Cretans, the logo was changed. The company said it did not consider the flag offensive, since it represented a milestone in the unification of Crete with the Kingdom of Greece, but changed the logo nonetheless to avoid any further confusion. Corporate affairs. In 2018, Sky  Express carried 1 million passengers for the first time. Destinations. As of 2021, Sky Express operates scheduled flights to 35 destinations in Greece and to another eight abroad. Codeshare agreements. Sky Express codeshares with the following airlines: Fleet. As of July 2021, Sky Express's fleet consists of the following aircraft: Historical fleet. In the past, Sky Express also operated the following types: