Inbound Air Traffic to Greece Gains Ground in June

Incoming air traffic to Greece is set to pick up pace this month with more than 800,000 seats booked for June, according to SETE Intelligence (INSETE) data released this week.

According to the research department of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE), 800,000 seats are planned on flights to major Greek airports this month: 384,000 for June 14-20 up by 45 percent compared to the previous week; 462,000 for June 21-27, up 20 percent. While this week, there were 264,000 scheduled seats, INSETE said.

Key source markets for the month are Germany, the UK, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Cyprus, the US, and Israel.

Greek airports expecting to see an increase this month are those of Athens, Heraklion and Chania (Crete), Rhodes, Thessaloniki, Corfu, Kos, Santorini, Mykonos, and Zakynthos, said INSETE.

Photo source: Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA)

Citing tourism professionals, INSETE analysts expect bookings to increase from July onward, echoing SETE President Yiannis Retsos’ projections.

Greek hoteliers however are still reluctant to make any predictions, saying demand is still shifting. Hospitality professionals are expecting the situation to change for the better once vaccination progresses and restrictions are eased.

Sector professionals however are expecting the year to be defined by last minute bookings.

INSETE goes on to refer to Fraport data which indicates a rising trend in international arrivals for Rhodes, Kos, Mykonos, and Santorini in the first week of June, with the South Aegean islands welcoming 40,000 passengers on 150 international flights.