Ioannina, Epirus, Welcomes Charter Flights from Catania, Italy

Luxwing passengers from Catania arriving at Ioannina International Airport in Epirus.

The Ioannina International Airport in Epirus, northwestern Greece, on Friday welcomed its first charter flight from Catania, inaugurating the Greek destination’s opening to the market of Italy.

Charter flights from Catania will arrive to Ioannina every Friday via Luxwing, a private aircraft carrier.

According to the Ioannina Region Hoteliers Association, the new air connection could mark the launch of new travel packages including city break, mountain and sea experiences that would have a significant impact on the economy of Epirus in general and Ioannina in particular.

Ioannina is included as a destination on the official website of Catania’s international airport.

According to data from INSETE, Italy tops the list of markets in terms of the potential for the long-term development of visitors to the Region of Epirus with a percentage of 38 percent. Epirus welcomed some 50,000 visitors from Italy in 2016 a number that grew to over 69,000 in 2019.

By country of origin, the largest percentage of revenue to Epirus comes from Germany, followed by Albania, the United Kingdom and Italy, according to the data.

Ioannina’s un-named island in Lake Pamvotida.

In total, almost one in two euros of travel receipts in the Region of Epirus come from visitors from the above countries. The average expenditure per night increased by 8.6 percent in the review period, with a higher increase in visitors from Italy (+20.2 percent).

“The continued efforts of Ioannina airport and its local partners for direct connections to more tourist markets continue to bear fruit, with Italy taking the lead after Israel, Sweden and Denmark,” the Ioannina Region Hoteliers Association said.