The 4th Plane Pull event was held in Greece for "The Smile of the Child"
18 September 2019
The 4th Plane Pull was held for "The Smile of the Child" on the 18th of September 2019 in Athens. The event took place in collaboration with Athens International Airport "Eleftherios Venizelos".
It was a truly special event for the airport community and it was organized for the fourth consecutive year at the venues of the Athens International Airport. The 4th Plane Pull in Greece became a reality on the airport's runway with the participation of 14 teams comprised of 30 people, each one aiming to pull a Boeing 737- 400 from the AIR MEDITERRANEAN fleet for a distance of 20 meters.
The common goal of everyone was to raise funds for the actions of “The Smile” in the field of medical care of children. In 2018 alone, 27.121 children with health problems and their families were supported through the actions of the Organization nationwide thanks to the Mobile Medical Units for newborns and children, the program of Preventive Medicine, carried out by 3 Mobile Medical Units, the support to hospitalized children in Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras, Pediatric Care at Home and the provision of shelter to children with health problems.
The President of the BoD of “The Smile of the Child”, Mr. Costas Yannopoulos said: “For the fourth consecutive year, Plane Pull is being implemented in Greece with the goal to enhance our Organization's activities, thanks to the valuable participation of Athens International Airport "Eleftherios Venizelos" and the support of Air Mediterranean. For yet another year the impossible became possible and teams of 20 people managed to move a Boeing! With excitement, smile and above all faith in a common vision: the smile of every child, hundreds of people met at the airport runway and proved in the most practical way that only through collective effort and unity of forces we can succeed!
"The Smile of the Child" is carrying out a multi-dimensional work, fighting on a daily basis throughout Greece for the well-being of all children. Today's day fills us with strength to continue. Once again, I would like to express our heartfelt thanks to AIA, Air Mediterranean, the companies and organizations involved, and to the sponsors of the event that made the 4th Plane Pull a reality in Greece! A big thank you also to the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE), which supported this effort from the very first moment, by mobilizing its members to participate."
The importance of initiatives such as this was highlighted by Ioanna Papadopoulou, Director of Communication and Marketing of Athens International Airport, who said: “We are very pleased that this year, for the fourth year, we have hosted the unique action of the 4th Plane Pull in Greece for "The Smile of the Child" with the valuable support of Air Mediterranean!
Once again, our airport was represented by very enthusiastic and strong teams with the slogan "What are we going through ... for the Smile!" Over the past 17 years Athens International Airport continues to actively support the goals and actions of the "Smile for the Child" organization . But especially amid the social and economic realities in the country, events and actions such as the Plane Pull have another dimension: they are even more important, as, in addition to their primary purpose, that of offering, they demonstrate the importance of solidarity and teamwork for achieving a common goal".
On behalf of Air Mediterranean, President Andrew Hallak said: "It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that Air Mediterranean participated actively in the 4th Plane Pull, making its fleet aircraft and its human resources available to the organization. We are proud to support 'The Smile of the Child' and to reinforce its valuable work for every child in Greece.
The awards given were:
● 1st Prize for the fastest team: GOLDAIR HANDLING
● 2nd Prize for the fastest team: AIR MEDITERRANEAN
● 3rd Prize for the fastest team: DHL HELLAS
● 1st Prize for the slowest team: "THE SMILE OF THE CHILD"
● 2nd Prize for the slowest team: KOTSOVOLOS
● 3rd Prize for the slowest team: AIA - 1
● 1st Prize for the most enthusiastic team: SETE
● 2nd Prize for the most enthusiastic team: MERCEDES BENZ
● 3rd Prize for the most enthusiastic team: UBITECH
The companies and bodies involved were:
- Hellenic Police
- Hellenic Fire Brigade
- SELECT SERVICES
- DHL HELLAS
- GOLDAIR HANDLING
- UBITECH
- KOTSOVOLOS
- MERCEDES BENZ
- AIR FRANCE / KLM
- SETE
As well as groups of organizers "The Smile of the Child", AIA Eleftherios Venizelos and Air Mediterranean.
We warmly thank the Olympians Vasilis Polymero & Chrysa Biskitsis for their participation and their valuable contribution to the warm-up of the teams.
The sponsors of the event were:
- Company 360 for the production of the event.
- The company AS A MAGIC for the catering
- WORKWELL for the wellness services
- THE VAN as well as COCA COLA 3E for refreshing drinks
- COFFEE PLANET for coffee services
- THE PHOTO BOOTH company for providing a photo booth
- The company NILOS for the chemical toilets
- The ANGELS Dance School for the beautiful dancers
- The POWERX.TECH for the surfboard simulator
More photo material is available here
For more information, you can contact our press team at press@hamogelo.gr or at +30 210 3306 140.
