Airlines Boost Seat Capacity to Meet Greek Summer Demand  

Airlines are increasing seating capacity to meet the growing demand for Greece ahead of summer, according to INSETE, the Greek Tourism Confederation’s (SETE) research body.

More specifically, based on data provided by INSETE’s new tool, the Air Data Tracker, available airline seats to Greece for the summer season are up by 2.2 percent over the same period a year ago.

In the UK and US – two main source markets for Greece – capacity is up by 3.6 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively, but Germany was down by 14.9 percent.

According to the latest available data released on May 22, 2023:

– the total number of available air seats for the summer months to Greece is up by 2.2 percent to 25 million compared to the same period in 2022 driven by an increase in Q2

– analysts attribute the rise to Q2 performance (+16.1 percent in April, +8.1 percent in May and +4.5 percent in June). Meanwhile, Q3 was marked by declines: -0.3 percent in July, -0.7 percent in August, -0.3 percent in September, and -4 percent in October

– despite a stronger second quarter, seasonality remains high with 53.7 percent of airline seats available in Q3

– increases were reported from the UK (3.6 percent) and the US (+1.4 percent), with declining air seats from Germany (-14.9 percent), France (-8.3 percent), Italy (-2.5 percent), and the Netherlands (-1.5 percent)

– the number of air seats offered is rising every week as the summer season approaches, said INSETE analysts: week 1 – 662,000, week 2 – 815,000, week 3 – 872,000.

Source: INSETE.

The new INSETE tool, launched this week, also monitors air seat reservations on international flights and compares data to 2022 both for Greece and compared to rival countries: Spain, Portugal, and Italy. Changes in bookings to Greece based on month, market and main airports are also presented.

According to the latest available data on international flights:

– major markets showing an upward dynamic. Indicatively, up 34.3 percent in the US and by 117 percent in Italy

– overall, Greece sees a 36.1 percent increase compared to Italy (+50 percent), Spain (+28.9 percent) and Portugal (+29.8 percent).