Greece is a country in turmoil, its government grappling with debt which can only be afforded with international assistance.

In exchange for this, the country will be required to gather its taxes more efficiently and cut public spending, but more crucially in the words of its Minister of Finance: "To remove restrictions from business and trade, reducing administrative costs and structural overspending, combating bureaucracy, providing for faster administration of justice, securing stability of legislation and transforming Greece into an investor-friendly country."

This leaves Doulis Karafil of Greek charter broker Air Business International in optimistic mood. "It is commonly acknowledged that opportunities occur in periods of crisis, and I strongly believe that the reforms the Greek government must now apply under pressure from creditors will make Greece a better country for the development of business and general aviation," he says.

"Where there is no government involvement in Greece, things run smoothly and with success. For example, there is minimum involvement of the government in the merchant marine."

Greece has always been a poor country with rich people. The shipping industry is second only to tourism in its earning power, there are many expatriate Greeks of great personal wealth, and there is a national trait for entrepreneurship.

Although Karafil reports that traffic from Greek individuals and corporations has been lower in general during this year it has still been one of the best for aviation. Unfortunately this increase in charter demand is due to the fact that strikes and cancellations of scheduled flights have forced people to charter aircraft.

To meet such demand Karafil's brokerage department is organising an air taxi network to cover the Greek mainland, the islands and the neighbouring countries. "Suitable aeroplanes and helicopters based where they are needed and not only in Athens will offer a competitively priced service," he says.

So at least Greek business aviation operators will have had the opportunity to approach new cust-omers and hopefully have a chance to retain their business in future.

And there is little doubt that the privatisation of Greek airports will benefit general aviation both in operational terms and in infrastructure development. Airports run by privately owned companies will surely open for more than just a few hours a day, beyond the limited times when scheduled flights demand it.

David Wright Managing editor