Int’l Traffic Through Greece’s Regional Airports Hits New High in 2023

International passenger traffic through Greece’s 14 regional airports managed by Fraport hit a new high in 2023, marking a 6.5 percent increase over 2022 and a 14.14 percent rise over pre-pandemic 2019.

The 14 regional airports across Greece handled a total of 33,870,683 passengers (domestic and international) in 2023 up by 8.6 percent over 2022 and by 12.3 percent compared to 2019.

December arrivals contributed to the strong annual performance with the airports welcoming 754,000 passengers, up by 12.7 percent over the same month in 2022.

The number of domestic arrivals rose by 10.6 percent to 461,398 and international arrivals by 16.3 percent to 292,786.

According to Fraport Greece data, 13 of the 14 airports performed well in 2023 with the airport of Mykonos failing to meet the mark. Mykonos airport traffic was down by 1.7 percent compared to 2022 with the number of international arrivals recording a 5.9 percent decline and domestic traffic an 8.4 percent drop.

Santorini airport managed to cover lost ground marking a 1.1 percent rise over 2022 driven by an 18.7 percent rise in domestic traffic while international arrivals were down by 9.9 percent.

Winning regional airports in 2023 were those of Thessaloniki with arrivals there up by 18.7 percent to 7 million, Chania (+10.9 percent, 3.6 million), Lesvos (+13.3 percent), and Kavala (+21 percent).

Also performing well in 2023 despite the fires, Rhodes airport welcomed 6.1 million arrivals.

“2023 has been an extraordinary chapter for Fraport Greece, marked by a surge in passenger numbers. Through the bustling corridors of our 14 airports, we’re thrilled to unveil an 8.6 percent increase in passenger traffic throughout the year 2023, surpassing the achievements of the previous year,” said Fraport in a statement.

Meanwhile, Athens International Airport (AIA) handled a total of 28.1 million passengers in 2023 marking a 24 percent rise over 2022.