Air Travel Capacity Hits a High as Greek Easter Holiday Rush Begins

The Easter celebration “Botides” on Corfu: People throw big clay pots filled with water from their balconies.

Greeks will be traveling abroad and in Greece to “outsider” destinations for Orthodox Easter – May Day weekend next month, according to data by national carrier AEGEAN.

Based on flights out of its hub in Athens, top international destinations this year are Marrakesh, Lisbon, Malaga, Napoli, Paris, and Stockholm; and out of its hub in Thessaloniki: Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Larnaca, Berlin and Frankfurt.

Top Greek destinations for Easter out of Athens include traditional destination Corfu, Ikaria, Sitia (Crete), Ioannina, Zakynthos, and Kos while out of Thessaloniki airport: Kos, Samos, Chios, Lesvos, Rhodes and Limnos.

Indicative of the demand, flights out of Athens from April 26 to May 4 are 80 percent full reaching 90 percent through to May Day.

Capacity on AEGEAN’s domestic flights out of its Thessaloniki hub are at 90 percent with return flights at full capacity.

Based on holiday booking trends, AEGEAN analysts report an increasing interest among Greek travelers for lesser-known destinations and new experiences. Additionally, Greeks are also booking earlier taking advantage of sales.

The airline goes on to add that despite some flights to popular destinations being fully booked, there are last-minute offers to destinations such as Warsaw, Kairo, Bristol and Munich and in Greece to Paros, Milos and Mykonos.

According to AEGEAN, flight and booking figures are similar to last year’s despite the fact that in 203 Catholic and Orthodox Easter were only one week apart.