"A Terrible Tragedy"

The following is a statement issued Monday night (local time) by Helios Airways, in the wake of Sunday's crash of a 737-300 in Greece:

Helios Airways Chairman, Andreas Drakou, said today that the accident to flight ZU522 was a terrible tragedy and that the company is providing immediate financial and other assistance to the families of all those affected by the appalling event.

ANN Contributor Nathan Morley is in Cyprus. By clicking here, you can listen to his report.

"Yesterday was a tragic day for all of us," he said, "In an effort to alleviate, as much as possible, the pain and anguish of the families, Helios Airways, in co-operation with the Government, activated its emergency procedure and immediately arranged to set up a meeting center for the families of the passengers at a Larnaca Hotel."

He said that the Cyprus Government, in order to assist the whole process, relocated to the airport for this task. Managers and staff of Helios Airways were dispatched to the airport to assist and give support to the families of the passengers and crew.

The company extended its apologies and deepest regrets to the families of the passengers and crew for the delay in announcing the names on the passenger list. The company had followed the International procedure and regulations established by the Cyprus Department of Civil Aviation.

Services Should Not Be Affected

Helios Airways confirmed today that its Scheduled services will continue to fly as programmed, despite the terrible tragedy that occurred yesterday.

Helios Airways is owned by the Cyprus based travel company Libra Holidays Group (LHG). LHG also owns the leading hotel chain DH Cyprotels, and the UK based tour operator Libra Holidays.

A spokesman for the group's UK tour operation, Libra Holidays, which has about 3% of its flying with Helios, said today that it also did not expect any significant changes to customers holiday plans.

Approved Maintenance Program

Drakou said that the aircraft in question was a Boeing 737-300 manufactured in 1999 and entered the Helios fleet in April 2004. Prior to its departure the aircraft was duly inspected in line with standard procedures.

Helios Airways is co-operating fully with the technical investigation and has provided a technical team to assist the Greek Authorities. The investigating body will release any information regarding the cause of the accident.

Notes

1. The airline will provide immediate financial assistance to families affected by the tragedy in line with the Montreal Convention and EC Regulations, Helios Airways will provide and initial payment of approximately 19,000 euros per passenger to help families with their immediate needs pending future compensation.

2. The company had followed the International procedure and regulations established by the Cyprus Department of Civil Aviation on passenger information. The personal data of passengers and crew was handed over to the authorities in due time. The lists contain the same exact data which is held by the airlines all over the world as per International regulations.

3. The aircraft was a Boeing 737-300 manufactured in 1999, was previously operated by Deutsche BA and entered the Helios fleet in April 2004. The aircraft followed the approved maintenance programme laid out by the Manufacturer and the Civil Aviation Department which is in line with JAR-OPS (European Joint Airworthiness Regulations) standards.

FMI: www.flyhelios.com