hoper: The Helicopter Service Transforming Travel in Greece

hoper is disrupting travel in Greece with its innovative model: Making helicopter travel between the Greek islands easy, quick, and accessible. 

hoper is the first scheduled commercial helicopter service for the region. The company launched in May 2024 and has already expanded—growing from two aircraft offering 10 routes to five aircraft flying to 15 Aegean destinations. 

Dimitris Kossyfas, hoper’s chief commercial officer, told TMR in an exclusive interview that hoper is transforming inter-island travel in Greece.

“hoper is one of the fastest, most convenient and easiest ways to navigate around the Greek islands,” said Kossyfas.

The COO pointed to the difficulty of planning travel around Greek islands like Santorini or Mykonos, which often involves navigating complex—and often limited—ferry schedules. Kossyfas told TMR some ferry routes might only operate once a week. 

hoper’s goal is to make inter-island travel more flexible, while keeping the price low in order to stay competitive with the other transportation options.  

“We are making those short-haul trips as widely available as possible, as convenient as possible, and as affordable as possible,” he said. 

hoper offers average ticket prices of 150 to 200 euros, one way. The flights aren’t private, but might as well be — the helicopters seat four, but Kossyfas said the company typically reserves the middle seat for children. 

And if only one person buys a ticket for a scheduled flight, hoper will fly at a loss.

“The trajectory has been positive and the business plan [factors in] those loss-making flights,” said Kossyfas. 

“We want to make vertical mobility mainstream”

Since launch, hoper has already attracted attention within and outside of Greece. So far, just over half (55%) of clients who have used the service are from within Greece. The other 45% have been international clients, mainly from the U.S., the U.K. and France. 

Looking at client demographics, Kossyfas said he was “surprised” to discover the top age group using hoper is 35 to 44 years old, noting they had thought it would be older. The next group is 45 to 54, followed by 55 to 64.

While hoper isn’t “white glove” luxury, its positioned as an added-value premium service, appropriate for clients looking to spend 10,000 to 15,000 euros on a 10-day trip for two. 

“Those people can easily afford a leg or two,” said Kossyfas.

Feedback so far has been positive. The company’s Net Promoter score is over 90, according to Kossyfas. Currently hoper is limited to Greece, but Kossyfas said the goal is to expand the model abroad. 

“We want to make vertical mobility mainstream,” he said.

hoper Wants To Partner With The Trade

hoper is already working with the travel trade. The helicopter service has a wide network of local and international partners and DMCs such as Eclectic Greece by Kyvernitis Travel and Embark Beyond. 

The Athens-based company also has an exclusive partnership with the ferry ticket platform Liknoss, which travel advisors can use for a smooth booking experience. 

Kossyfas told TMR that hoper is already working with some consortia, such as Fora. The company offers commission rates based on what channel is used (for example, through a host or direct with the travel advisor). hoper also works with travel advisors indirectly through key accounts, such as their DMC partnerships.

When asked why travel advisors should work with hoper, Kossyfas pointed to the opportunity for an enhanced client experience.

“I think what hoper offers is a very compelling service,” said Kossyfas. “So whether you’re looking at an internal inter-island trip or one that actually has a destination or origin of Athens, then the price is relatively low and very competitive when you factor in the time savings that you have versus the ferry trip.”