ATHENS- Aegean Airlines, the leading Greek airline, experienced a remarkable surge in passenger traffic during the period of January to May 2023. With a 50% increase compared to the same period in 2022, Aegean Airlines carried more than 5 million passengers, surpassing pre-pandemic levels and signaling promising prospects for travel demand to Greece. This positive trend was evident since the first quarter of the year.

Notably, international passenger traffic to and from Athens’ “Eleftherios Venizelos” Airport witnessed a significant rise, with a 65% increase compared to 2022 and a 12% increase compared to 2019, highlighting the growing popularity of Athens as a travel destination. Similarly, Thessaloniki’s “Macedonia” Airport experienced robust foreign passenger traffic, reaching 72% compared to the previous year and 30% compared to 2019.

Aegean’s expansion of operations with new international routes, along with increased flight frequencies on existing routes such as Italy, Spain, Germany, Scandinavia, Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, contributed to this remarkable growth. Furthermore, the early start of the summer season played a significant role, with direct flights from Athens to Bristol, Birmingham, Riga, and Lille, and direct routes from Thessaloniki to Barcelona and Cologne. Additional new routes from various Greek cities to Tel Aviv, as well as upcoming routes from Athens, Thessaloniki, Heraklion, and Rhodes to several destinations, further enhance Aegean’s extensive network.

In 2023, Aegean plans to offer a total of 18 million seats, including 11 million foreign seats, demonstrating a substantial increase compared to 2022 and 2019. Operating in 165 destinations across 46 countries, the airline serves passengers from its ten bases in Greece and abroad, with a modern fleet of 76 aircraft, including the newly acquired Airbus A320 and A321 neo models.