On Thursday, 12 April 2018, the Alternate Minister of National Defence, Fotis Kouvelis, stated at the 1st  Program of the Hellenic Broadcasting Station:

‘We are mourning the loss of the brave and fine citizen of our country, Captain (AF) Georgios Baltadoros. He belongs to the Pantheon of Heroes. I express my condolences to his family and to the Armed Forces of the country. The loss is painful. He was a dedicated Air Force Officer. He adored his job. He had a high morale and executed his duty with altruism. The grief is inconsolable for all of us’.

When asked about the conditions of the incident he replied, pointing out the following:

‘In accordance with the data that we have from the military authorities, the pilots were returning from an interception operation of two Turkish aircraft; the interception never occurred, because the Turkish aircraft had already withdrawn for Turkey. So our pilots were returning to their base in Skyros and 9 miles before reaching the island, the second pilot- since the late Georgios Baltadoros was the head of the mission- suddenly lost the first aircraft of his range of vision, and crashed into the sea. So, this brave man lost his life. Researches on the spot continue. Without any doubt, the death of our pilot, Georgios Baltadoros, has nothing to do with the interception operation. The aircraft, along with Georgios Baltadoros, was lost 9 miles off  the coast of  Skyros’.