Passenger Traffic at Fraport-run Greek Airports to Touch Record High in 2023

Savvas Karagiannis, Corporate Communications Manager, Fraport Greece; Katerina Pollatou, Airline Marketing & Development Manager/ Commercial & Business Development; George Vilos, Executive Director, Commercial & Business Development, Fraport Greece; and Haris Filos, Air Service Development Manager/ Commercial & Business Development.

Passenger traffic at the 14 Greek regional airports under the management of Fraport Greece is expected to reach a new record this year.

The company this year expects to handle 33.8 million passengers, compared to 31.19 million in 2022, according to the company’s Executive Director, Commercial & Business Development, George Vilos.

Speaking during a media briefing on Tuesday, Vilos said the 14 Greek regional airports served a total of 32.3 million passengers during the first 10 months of the year – up by 8.4 percent compared to 2022 – with international traffic accounting for 80 percent.

“The upward trend in passenger traffic at the 14 regional airports during the first 10 months of the year reflects the competitiveness of Greek tourism as a product, which includes the upgrading of tourism-related infrastructure, such as these airports,” Vilos said.

Fraport Greece manages the Greek airports of Aktion, Kavala and Thessaloniki on the mainland and another eleven on the Greek islands of Corfu, Crete (Chania), Kefalonia, Kos, Mytilene (Lesvos), Mykonos, Rhodes, Samos, Santorini, Skiathos and Zakynthos.

While giving an overview of the passenger traffic at the 14 airports during the January-October period, Vilos pointed out that the airport of Thessaloniki recorded the highest increase in 2023 – 20 percent – compared with the same period in 2022.

During the first 10 months of the year, the 14 Greek airports attracted flights from 110 airlines while 900 routes from 42 markets were carried out. This year, 64 new routes were recorded. Key markets for the 14 airports include the United Kingdom, Germany, Scandinavia, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Austria, Israel (before the conflict with Hamas) and the Czech Republic.

When asked about the passenger traffic to the airports in November, Vilos said a 15 percent increase compared to the same month last year is expected.

Securing 14 gateways to Greece through investments

According to Vilos, Fraport Greece’s role in attracting tourist flows throughout the year is decisive, noting that the company already has invested a total of over 1.8 billion euros for the creation of modern and secure gateways to Greece.

“While every year we invest some 50 million euros for the further modernization of the airports,” he said, adding that Fraport Greece is already planning further expansions in some of the airports under its management such as the one on Santorini.

Lower airport charges: An incentive to extend Greek tourism season

George Vilos, Executive Director, Commercial & Business Development, Fraport Greece.

During the media briefing, Vilos also gave an overview of the company’s initiatives and actions for the extension of the tourism season, the means and results of the promotion of the 14 destinations in Greece and abroad and referred to the challenges of the imminent future in tourism and the aviation industry.

“We provide significant financial incentives to attract additional flights during the winter and regional months and partner with national and local bodies by jointly designing and implementing promotional programs in target markets,” he said.

The company has launched a significant subsidy on charges at the 14 Greek airports under its management, ranging from 25 percent to 50 percent.

Fraport Greece also promotes the 14 Greek destinations at leading international tourism and aviation conferences, as well as through its own communication channels, such as social media and its magazine “Incredible Greece”.

“We are in constant cooperation with all the airlines to maintain existing routes, but above all to attract new ones to all the destinations we serve,” Vilos said.

Challenges

George Vilos, Executive Director, Commercial & Business Development, Fraport Greece.

According to Fraport Greece’s general director of development, the challenges for the future of Greek tourism include the lack of staff throughout the tourism chain, which leaves a negative impact on the level of service; a rise in the price level with an impact on demand for the next few years; deterioration of the quality-price ratio, which intensifies competition with neighboring countries; and geopolitical instability in the wider region with potential impacts on tourism.

“It is very important to remain vigilant, given the various challenges facing the broader tourism sector, which requires the continuous strengthening of the competitiveness of Greek tourism based on global trends, but also on synergies between all of us who are at the forefront of our country’s tourism chain,” he said.

Vilos highlighted that Greece needs infrastructure investments in order to serve the increased tourist flows and must move on from its “sun and sea” strategy and offer more integrated/alternative tourist experiences.

Discussing the importance of extending Greece’s tourism season, he said the cooperation and change of mentality of all parties involved is essential.

“Airlines will not fly to islands during the shoulder months if hotels and shops are closed and don’t extend their operations as well,” he said.