Greece’s Regional Airports Exceed 2019 Traffic Levels

Traffic through Greece’s 14 regional airports exceeded pre-Covid 2019 levels in 2022, handling a total of 31 million passengers, local media report.

More specifically, the country’s 14 regional airports managed by Fraport Greece handled an additional 1 million passengers compared to record year 2019 marking a 3.4 percent increase.

In the 11 months to November, a total of 30.5 million passengers went through Fraport Greece-run airports compared to 30.1 million in the entire year in 2019. The bulk of arrivals through Fraport’s airports was recorded in the June-October period benefiting from an extended tourism season.

Leading the way in terms of arrivals were the airports at popular destinations such as Mykonos, Santorini, Corfu, Skiathos and Aktion.

Mykonos airport.

Indicatively, international arrivals were up by 20 percent on Mykonos and 50 percent on Santorini compared to 2019. On the downside, traffic through Thessaloniki airport was down by 15 percent in 2022 compared to 2019.

“In a year with war raging in the heart of Europe, without visitors from Russia, China, Ukraine, consistent teamwork has brought about very positive results to the national and local economies. Passenger traffic through the country’s 14 regional airports exceeded all previous records,” said Greek Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias via his twitter account commenting on the news.

Meanwhile, according to media reports, Athens International Airport (AIA) managed in 2022 to recoup 88.9 percent of 2019 levels (25.5 million) handling some 22.7 million passengers.