Market Analysis II: Athens Airport’s Top Markets – UNITED KINGDOM

Athens in the Spotlight!

Welcome to GTP Headlines’ weekly feature, spotlighting the top markets of Greece’s largest and foremost gateway.
Each week, based on exclusive facts and data of Athens International Airport, we’ll explore the markets that bring travelers from around the world to Greece through this bustling hub.

This week, we turn our attention to the UK market, reflecting the significant role it plays in shaping Athens International Airport’s (AIA) international traffic.

One of the TOP markets for Athens Airport, the UK ranked 2nd in terms of foreign arrivals and 2nd in direct traffic in 2023.

For the first half of 2024, the UK is again in the 2nd position in foreigners’ arrivals (Tourism) and 3rd in direct, recording strong growth compared to the same period 2023 with +8% and +7% respectively.

When compared to the pre-pandemic era, the growth of traffic from the UK is equally strong, with +20% in Direct traffic and +16% in Foreign arrivals.

The main driver for this spectacular growth in traffic is the additional direct capacity deployed, which increased by 8% in the first half of 2024, when compared to the same period in 2023.

However, this increase is even more spectacular when compared to the pre-pandemic era (2019), as direct capacity increased by 23% in 2023 or by 29% in the first half of 2024.

High Demand for Athens, Spectacular Network Developments: 128 weekly departures in 2024

For 2024, Athens is directly connected to 9 airport destinations with flights operated by 7 airlines – AEGEAN, British Airways, easyJet UK, Jet2, Ryanair, SKY express & WizzAir UK – resulting in 128 weekly departures, or 18.3 daily (peak Summer season).

Current Status – Summer 2024

Back in 2019, Athens was directly connected to 7 airport destinations with flights operated by 5 airlines, offering 103 weekly departures, or 14.7 daily.

The United Kingdom network in peak summer

• In 2021, during the pandemic, Athens network to the UK was stable but with fewer weekly frequencies and available capacity.
• In August 2021, Sky Express entered the UK market, adding service to London Heathrow.
• In the following years, 2022 and 2023, Athens attractiveness in the UK market resulted in the enhancement of the network to UK with the addition of 2 new destinations and 1 new airline.
• Jet2.com made its debut in the Athens market in April 2022, adding Birmingham in the Athens network with 2 weekly departures and adding service to Manchester (2 weekly).
• WizzAir UK and British Airways subsidiary Euroflyer, added services to London Gatwick during Summer 2022.
• In Summer 2023, Aegean added services to Birmingham, Bristol and added a new destination for Athens, Newcastle.
• Sky Express operated to London Gatwick, as of April 2023 and Jet2 added its 3rd destination from Athens, offering 2 weekly flights to London Stansted.
• As a result, Athens enjoyed its thicker network to the United Kingdom in the Summer of 2023, with 9 airport destinations, 7 airlines, 19 services in total, delivering 132 weekly departures.

In June 2024, Athens network to the United Kingdom remains unchanged with 9 airport destinations operated by 7 airlines, with a slight reduction in Services and weekly frequencies, however much higher than the pre-Pandemic levels.

Equally important, the increase in average capacity per flight: from 190.4 seats in 2019 to 195.5 in 2023 and to  197.5 in the first half of 2024.

Passenger traffic evolution

Compared to pre-Pandemic (2019), direct passenger traffic grew by 15% in 2023 and is increasing further by 7% in 2024.

The enhancement of the direct network and increase in available capacity resulted in 65.4 thousand additional direct passengers, in the Winter months (November 2023 to March 2024 versus November 2022 to March 2023).

Despite the network enhancement and increase in available capacity, Global travel data (IATA) for destination Athens reveals that Indirect traffic accounts for 4% of the market total traffic in 2023. While 4% is a “small” number, it is significant for a market size like the UK, as 15 thousand passengers (one-way) travelled via other airports to reach Athens. Amsterdam is leading the way, followed by London Heathrow, Munich and Frankfurt, clearly demonstrating an opportunity for future network developments.

For 2023 and based on Global travel data (IATA), 76 thousand passengers (one-way) connected via UK to reach Athens. This connecting traffic is 28% higher when compared to pre-Pandemic era (2019). USA is the TOP market that connects via UK to Athens.

In addition, Athens also serves as a connecting HUB for UK traffic to/from the region. In 2023, based on Global travel data (IATA) 61 thousand passengers (one-way) travelled from the UK via Athens to the final destination. This traffic increased by 11% when compared to 2019. In addition to other Greek destinations, travelers are connecting to Cyprus, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Armenia etc.

Passenger demographics:
The UK traveler for Athens

Travelers from the UK are having a close relationship with Greece, benefiting by a strong Greek community, they travel mainly as Couples, Friends or even Solo travelers with an average age of 41 years.

Main characteristics

Occupation: 70% in private sector, but with a strong share of students (9%) even after the BREXIT
Length of stay: 19 days in Greece, 4 days spent in Athens
Trip purpose: Holidays (71%), combined to a large extent with visit to friends and relatives (21%)
Stay: 66% stay in hotels and homes of friend and relatives (11%), while Airbnbs are also an option (10%)
Activities: A lot of interest around archaeological activities (46%), but also in the Greek way of life and cuisine. Favorite neighborhoods to visit… Plaka and Monastiraki!
Favorite destinations: Santorini (19%), Crete (11%), Paros (10%)

Evaluation of Athens: 75% said that the city experience was above their expectations
Revisit Athens: 91% stated that they will revisit during 2024

UK travelers agree that Greece is a “familiar place” and a country with easy access.

Future opportunities: additional capacity & NEW destinations
(Northeast of England, Scotland and Belfast)

(a) additional capacity on existing routes to accommodate the indirect traffic from the UK.
(b) additional weekly frequencies in origins like Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol to offer better travel options for passengers and remove the need for intra UK travel, with train or by road to London.
(c) new destinations to offer better travel options, especially in the Northeast of England, Scotland and Belfast. New routes will not only cover the current demand, but they will further stimulate traffic from local markets.
(d) improved connections via Athens to include more regional destinations for the UK market.

The UK market is traditionally a big market not only for Athens but for Greece overall. Current and future developments in the Tourism product at the Athens Riviera and the Saronic islands will further boost the size of the UK market for our airport and our city.

View also: Market Analysis I: Athens Airport’s Top Markets – UNITED STATES