World Airlines Boosting Connections with Greece

Strong traveler demand for Greece is prompting more international airlines to add Greek destinations to their programs or increase the frequency of existing connections.

As part of efforts to extend the tourist season, Greek Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias has been in ongoing negotiations with airline and cruise companies to add or extend their itineraries to Greece.

So far, companies that have expressed intentions to boost their presence in Greece are Iceland’s low-cost airline PLAY, set to launch bi-weekly flights from Athens to Iceland and the US starting in the summer of 2023; Latvian airline airBaltic, which will add new destinations to its flight schedule beginning in March 2023; British airline Jet2 said it will launch its largest ever flight program for Greece in 2023, adding new routes and increasing seat capacity; Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, is looking to add new flights to its schedule as are several US airlines as well as Air Canada.

Indicative of the demand, at the beginning of this year, Athens International Airport (AIA) welcomed 43 new routes on existing services, including six new airlines and eight new destinations for the summer 2022 season.

Kikilias confirmed that talks were underway with airlines to secure direct flights from the US to Greece in the fall and winter season too.

The interest in Greece has also prompted tour operators to extend or enhance travel packages on offer as well as introduce new destinations.

Meanwhile, Greece is among the top destinations of choice for potential long-haul vacationers in five overseas markets – Canada, China, Japan, Russia, and the US – who are looking to travel abroad in the coming months, a recent survey released by the European Travel Commission (ETC) and Eurail BV found.

Greece is also among the Top 5 most sought-after destinations for this winter, found the latest European Travel Commission (ETC) report released last week.