Greece unveils €57m ferry rescue
- Greece’s maritime minister, Vassilis Kikilias, told Parliament the state will fund a €55 million-to-€57 million ferry support package to hold fares steady. - Athens said each $10 rise in oil prices can add as much as €10 million a month to ferry operators’ costs. - The plan follows March measures by Kyriakos Mitsotakis to keep ferry tickets near last year’s levels. (en.protothema.gr)
Greece said it will spend €55 million to €57 million to keep ferry ticket prices from rising as fuel costs squeeze operators. (ekathimerini.com) (naftemporiki.gr) Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy Minister Vassilis Kikilias presented the package in Parliament on Thursday, April 24, 2026. He said the state will cover the cost of mandatory fare discounts that ferry companies already provide. (naftemporiki.gr) (news.gtp.gr) Those discounts apply to groups including students, children, large families, people with disabilities, low-income passengers and residents of small islands. Kikilias said the aim is to keep those reductions in place without pushing extra costs onto travelers. (ekathimerini.com) (news.gtp.gr) The pressure point is fuel. Kikilias said every $10 increase in the oil price can add up to €10 million a month to ferry operating costs. (ekathimerini.com) (naftemporiki.gr) He put the sector’s current hit at €36 million to €40 million, linking it to oil-price swings and war-related instability in the Middle East. The government framed the package as a way to protect island access as the summer season approaches. (ekathimerini.com) (news.gtp.gr) The ferry aid did not appear out of nowhere. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on March 23 that Greece would compensate ferry companies tied to mandatory ticket discounts to keep prices at last year’s levels. (en.protothema.gr) That ferry measure was one part of a broader €300 million package for April and May that also included fuel support for households, diesel relief and fertilizer subsidies for farmers. (en.protothema.gr) For travelers, the announcement points to smaller fare shocks rather than cheaper tickets across the board. For operators, it shifts the cost of legally required discounts from company balance sheets to the state. (ekathimerini.com) (naftemporiki.gr) The government’s bet is that subsidizing those discounts now is cheaper than letting fuel volatility disrupt routes and island links in peak season. (ekathimerini.com) (news.gtp.gr)
