Athens Airport Triumphs at Routes Europe 2024 Awards

The winners of Routes Europe 2024 awards. Photo source: Photo credit: Ocean Driven Media

Athens International Airport (AIA) once again was crowned the winner in the “Over 20 Million Passengers” category of the Europe edition of the Routes 2024 Marketing Awards that were announced recently in Aarhus, Denmark.

The Greek airport was one of five winners at the event, which celebrated not just excellence in airport and destination marketing but also the importance of partnership in sustainable route development.

The other victors at the Routes Europe 2024 ceremony were Budapest Airport, applauded in the “5-20 Million Passengers” category and crowned the Overall Winner of the event; Turismo de Portugal, winner in “Destination” category; Albrecht Dürer Airport Nürnberg, named winner in the “Under 5 Million Passengers” category; and Jet2.com, which won the “Airline” category.

Athens Airport excels

Athens International Airport triumphed in the Over 20 Million Passengers category at the Routes 2024 Marketing Awards. Pictured is AIA Director Communications and Marketing Ioanna Papadopoulou (second from right) on stage with the Athens Airport team. Photo source: AIA

“We are thrilled by this prestigious award which is the reward for our hard work and all our efforts to enhance our airport’s and our city’s connectivity,” said Ioanna Papadopoulou, AIA’s director communications and marketing, when receiving the award for Athens Airport.

In the “Over 20 Million Passengers” category, Athens Airport was in competition with Istanbul IGA, Rome Fiumicino, Brussels Airport, and Vienna Airport.

Athens Airport’s win this year follows its new record year in 2023, recording over 28 million passengers alongside 39 new destinations, 19 new airlines and 68 additional services on existing routes.

The Greek airport’s performance last year increased by 24 percent compared to 2022 and by 10.2 percent compared to 2019. Growth was driven predominantly by Western Europe and the North American markets.

“This award is dedicated to all our colleagues at Athens International Airport who work 24/7 with dedication and passion for our airlines, our passengers, and our country,” Papadopoulou added.

Photo source: AIA

In the first quarter of 2024, AIA saw an upward trend of passenger traffic up by 16.5 percent compared to the corresponding period last year.

Moreover, five new destinations (Shanghai, Brest, Ancona, Sarajevo, Sharjah), eight additional airlines (including Air Arabia, Asiana-charter, Juneyao Air, LOT, Norse, Smartwings, Universal Air) and 19 additional routes to existing connections have been added to the AIA’s network for the summer of 2024.

Taking place during the Routes Europe networking event, the most important “meeting point” between airports and airlines, the Routes Europe Marketing Awards are widely regarded as the most valuable awards in the industry.