Greece in EU Lead with August Commercial Flight Increase

Greece and Luxembourg are the only two countries in the European Union to record an increase in the number of commercial flights in August, compared to the same month in pre-pandemic 2019, according to monthly flight data released by Eurostat.

More specifically, compared to August 2019, commercial flights to Greece were up by 5 percent and by 2 percent in Luxembourg while overall, in August, commercial flights through the EU were down by 14 percent to 596,930 over 478,996 in August 2021, 324,538 in 2020 and 695,912 in 2019.

The largest decreases in flights were recorded in Slovenia down by 42 percent, Latvia (-39 percent), and Finland (-31 percent).

“Greece is number one again in August across Europe with 5 percent more commercial flights compared to the same month in 2019. Together with Luxembourg the only countries with a positive trend,” said Greek Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias commenting on the news via his twitter account.

Η Ελλάδα 1η και τον Αύγουστο σε όλη την Ευρώπη με 5% περισσότερες εμπορικές πτήσεις σε σχέση με τον αντίστοιχο μήνα του 2019.

Μαζί με το Λουξεμβούργο οι μόνες χώρες με θετικό πρόσημο. pic.twitter.com/czXGsF7OKn

— Vassilis Kikilias (@Vkikilias) September 12, 2022

In Greece, the airport of Corfu reported an increase of 22 percent in commercial flights compared with 2019 and Santorini by 30 percent, among the largest in Europe. Additionally, Naples airport saw flights rise by 14 percent.

Greece was the only country to record an increase in commercial flights in June over the same month in 2019 and for a second consecutive month in July despite EU drop.

The most significant decreases in the number of commercial flights were seen at Frankfurt airport down by 23 percent, Milan Malpensa (-34 percent), and Roma Fiumicino (-27 percent).

In relevant news, according to the latest data by travel analytics firm ForwardKeys, Greece has proven to be the most resilient destination in Europe this year, with air travel levels exceeding 2019 levels for July and August. Greece is also ahead in terms of pre-booking figures, which are up by 5 percent for fall despite the ongoing energy crisis and increased inflation.