Today’s All About Aviation Insiders Interview is with Harald Riedlsperger, a helicopter pilot and the CEO of HeliAlpha, an Austrian commercial helicopter services company that has been successfully operating in Greece since 2007.
Riedlsperger grew up in the heart of the Alps where helicopters were utilized on a daily basis to carry external cargo and to provide “mobile crane” services in the construction industry. In the Alps, helicopters remain the top transport for rescue operations and medical emergencies. He says he was always impressed with the tasks helicopters could accomplish and that was how his passion for aviation and flight grew.
“The capability and flexibility of the helicopter is endless and that is proven to me in my line of work every single day,” says Riedlsperger. “They say the need to fly is the oldest dream of mankind. It was my dream since my childhood and now I am living my dream.”
Riedlesperger runs HeliAlpha from the island of Crete where the main base is located in Chersonissos. HeliAlpha also has bases in Litochoro, south of Thessaloniki, and in Santorini.
Recently, Riedlesperger sat down with All About Aviation.gr to discuss his professional perspective about the state of Greece’s aviation industry.
All About Aviation.gr: What’s the most important issue in the aviation industry today, in Greece or/ and worldwide?
For my perspective, there are issues to be solved at several of Greece’s airports including proper service. Generally, the situation is complicated and it needs to be easier for the general aviation industry to thrive. Helicopter and airplane travel make up a very large component of the tourism industry. Proper services must be provided otherwise potential clients will look elsewhere. We need more support. The aviation industry in Greece supports a lot of jobs and has a lot of potential.
All About Aviation.gr: Where would you like to see Greece’s aviation industry in the next five years?
Three categories of importance come to mind including passenger services, medical services and commercial services like external cargo operations.
I believe passenger services are already quite developed. I’d like to see improvements when it comes to coverage of medical and rescue helicopter coverage in Greece. This would be important for both tourists and the Greek population to feel safe.
Advancements in commercial services would be an advantage. I believe most people have the misconception that helicopters are an expensive means to transport goods. However, in many cases, it is cheaper than other alternatives and much faster.
Overall I hope to see all players involved in Greece’s aviation industry cooperate on a higher level – working together instead of against each other is the key.
All About Aviation.gr: How do you see the tourism industry in Greece this year?
I believe the tourism industry is at about the same as last year. We can’t really predict much else at this point. From my perspective, I have been getting more requests than last year. That is a gleam of hope that it will, in fact, end up being a great season for the industry. As of this exact moment, however, there aren’t more flights actually scheduled.
All About Aviation.gr: There’s an on-going campaign to extend the Greek season to all year round. What do you see needs to be done from your perspective?
Greece is like any country, there are tourist season highs and lows. Greece is and always will be a classical summer destination. The fact is the Greek aviation market highly depends on tourists in many ways so it would be great to extend the season. However, new tourism segments need to be developed for that to be a reality.
All About Aviation.gr: What would you like to tell the world about your company?
HeliAlpha is built on two concepts: passion for flying and the pleasure to serve people. We improve ourselves every day and go above and beyond to make sure that we meet a client’s needs – in the present and for the future.
We don’t believe that cost is the only factor when considering our services. We believe that reliability and trustworthiness are just as important. That’s why we treat our clients like friends and not like cows that we want to milk. We have our own challenges, of course, but we absolutely love what we do and we do it well with integrity and top quality service.
