Athens Airport Passenger Traffic Totals 14 Million in First 6 Months of 2024

Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

The increase in passenger traffic at Athens International Airport (AIA) is maintaining double-digit growth rates, confirming expectations that Greek tourism will reach another record high this year. Industry insiders are even suggesting that if this pace continues, Greece may even surpass previous records.

Regarding Athens Airport, passenger traffic showed growth for the sixth consecutive month compared to 2023.

In June 2024, the airport handled 3.30 million passengers, marking a 12.9 percent increase from June 2023 and a 26.3 percent rise compared to pre-Covid levels in 2019.

Significantly, the rise in passenger numbers stemmed from both domestic and international travel, with international traffic increasing at twice the rate of domestic traffic compared to June 2023.

More specifically, domestic passenger traffic reached 994,350 passengers, a 7.5 percent increase compared to 925,029 passengers in June 2023.

International passenger traffic reached 2,306,387 passengers, marking a 15.4 percent increase from last year’s 1,998,208 passengers.

The strong performance in June contributed to the impressive first-half results, with passenger traffic reaching 14.01 million passengers.

Overall, in the first six months of the year, the airport’s traffic increased by 16 percent, with domestic traffic up by 8.6 percent and international traffic by 19.5 percent.

Athens Airport recorded 119,853 flights during the first six months of 2024, representing a 13.5 percent increase over 2023 levels. Both domestic and international flights saw increases, with domestic flights up by 6.4 percent and international flights by 19 percent.

Which markets boosted AIA’s performance

The aforementioned figures create important expectations, as they indicate that, in addition to the traditional tourism markets that support the country, destinations outside Europe are gaining momentum. Some of these markets are also demonstrating high average spending, while others have yet to return to their pre-pandemic sizes.

According to data, these emerging markets include the US, with passenger numbers reaching 290,000 during January-May, marking a 12 percent increase compared to the corresponding period in 2023; China, with 62,000 Chinese tourists visiting Greece in the first five months of the year, showing a 145 percent increase from 2023; Turkey, recording a significant 93 percent increase during January-May compared to 2023; and Australia, with a 39 percent increase in the first five months of the year compared to the corresponding period in 2023.