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7. New business development: Case Studies  The Sea-air cargo project Athens International airport is the first European airport to launch multi-modal flows in the form of the combination of maritime, road and air traffic. The project provides an attractive alternative to pure air transport and enables shippers to forward their cargo from the Eastern Mediterranean region via Piraeus seaport and Athens airport to final destinations in Northern Europe and North America. Having signed Cooperation Agreements with Piraeus seaport operators AIA and the local cargo community are in the position to offer same-day connection in Athens and a total transit time of five days at competitive rates to the international market. Prerequisites According to a sea-air study conducted by the University of Piraeus in 2003, in order for a sea-air link via Athens to be successful, the air transportation leg must be the longest one in the whole transportation chain. Hence, in the case of Athens, the target markets include  origin markets in the wider eastern Mediterranean region  destination airports at a distance of at least 2,800 km from Athens Commodity types may range from perishables and garments to electronics and machinery. The deal with Piraeus Seaport operators AIA has signed cooperation agreements with both Piraeus authorities regarding a link between the port and the airport : the state owned Piraeus Port Authority S.A. (PPA – ΟΛΠ) in 2006 and the privately held Piraeus Container Terminal S.A. (PCT - ΣΕΠ, affiliate of the Chinese shipping giant Cosco) in 2010. Both agreements relate to the acceleration of on-seaport flows, the seamless link (through a shuttle service) between the two ports, the acceleration of on-airport flows and the same-day onward connection to final destinations. page 10