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Hellenic Imperial Airways (HIA) will begin operating a thrice-weekly service from Gatwick Airport to Athens, Greece, on July 1 2011. The route is being sold on the strength of Athens Airport’s connections to destinations in the Middle East, such as Kuwait and Dubai.

Athens, alongside New York, London, and Paris, is one of the most recognisable cities in the world. The Greek capital has stood, in some form or another, for more than 3,400 years, and many of Athens’ most popular landmarks, such as the Acropolis, have defied time and the elements to dominate the skyline centuries after they were originally built.

Despite having just seven routes on its schedules, Hellenic is one of the larger carriers flying out of Athens Airport, after Aegean Airlines and Olympic Air. HIA began its life as a provider of flights from Saudi Arabia to Birmingham, via its home city, Athens. The route was eventually scrapped, but HIA continues to offer long-haul services to North America, the UK, and the United Arab Emirates.

A 375-seat aircraft will be used by HIA on its new flight to London. However, the success of the route hinges on the Greek carrier’s ability to compete with budget airline, easyJet, which currently offers an identical route to Athens from the Crawley airport. EasyJet’s route to Athens is well established, having been in constant operation for almost nine years.

HIA’s latest expansion is designed to ‘open up’ Greece to the rest of the world, according to transfer firm, easyBus, quoting the Press Association. Travel agents are being offered 5% commission by the airline on every ticket sold on the Gatwick to Athens service.