Market Analysis X: Athens Airport’s TOP Markets – AUSTRALIA: ‘Flying the Extra Mile, Mate!’

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.

For the 10th and final market in our global journey, we are heading Down Under to focus on the Australian market. While Australia is a distant land — 9,526 miles (15,330 km) from Athens to Sydney — it holds a special place in Greek hearts due to its vibrant and strong Greek diaspora, as well as deep cultural and historical ties, with many friends and relatives residing there.

Australia is home to one of the world’s largest Greek communities. According to the 2021 census, there were 464,835 Australians of Greek and Greek Cypriot ancestry, with 109,051 born in Greece or Cyprus. Greeks around the Globe estimates the total Greek-Australian population to be around 700,000.

Roughly 20 years ago, state-owned Olympic Airlines operated flights to Sydney and Melbourne with a one-stop connection.

In 2023, the Australian market recorded a 13% growth compared to 2019, highlighting its growing importance.

Following the impressive 13% growth in 2023 compared to 2019, the Australian market continues to expand, showing a further 14% increase in the first seven months of 2024 compared to the same period last year.

According to  Athens International Airport’s Passenger Survey (2023), the total Australian market is estimated to exceed 300,000 round-trip passengers.

The Australian market is highly seasonal, with 91% of passengers traveling to Athens during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer (based on global travel data from IATA for Athens in 2023). A decade ago, this distribution was 74% in summer and 26% in winter.

Passenger demographics:
The Australian traveler for Athens

Australians are characterized as “Sea lovers…with Greek roots”, they travel mainly as Couples or families with an average age of 44 years.

Main characteristics

Occupation: 64% in private sector, 11% retired, 10% self-employed.
Length of stay: Longest stay in Greece (15 days), while only the 1/3 of it is spent in Athens (5 days).
Trip purpose: Holidays 88%, combined with visit to friends and relatives 12%.
Stay: 57% stay in hotels, many of them choose resorts 11%, while they have one of the highest percentages in cruises and yachting choices 16%. The rest are hosted by relatives and friends.
Activities: They attend a lot of concerts and performances, they  love the sea, 40% visit the Athens riviera and they take cruises in Saronic islands.
Favorite destinations: Santorini (26%), Mykonos (12%), Crete (11%), while Corfu is always an option for them.

Evaluation of Athens: 83% said that the city experience was above their expectations.
Revisit Athens: 87% stated that they will revisit during 2024.

Australia – Athens traffic:
A strong indirect market with high potential
and positive prospects to become direct soon…

Although no direct flights are available yet, traffic from Australia to Athens relies heavily on major connecting hubs in the Gulf region and Asia.

According to global travel data (IATA) for 2023, Dubai emerged as the top connecting point, handling 39% of the traffic, followed by Doha with 33%.

IATA data also shows a significant increase in available capacity from hub airlines at the top four connecting points to Athens, which grew by 49% in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

Emirates offered the largest number of seats, maintaining its 2023 levels, while Qatar Airways increased capacity by 83%, Scoot by 33%, and Etihad by 28%. Altogether, these four hub airlines provided a total of 271,000 one-way seats to Athens in the first half of 2024.

Based on global travel data (IATA) for 2023, Athens ranks as a top destination for O&D (origin and destination) traffic from Sydney and Melbourne to Europe, driven by the strong Greek diaspora and Greece’s popularity among Australians.

For Melbourne, Athens ranks as the 4th strongest European destination, while for Sydney, Athens is the 5th strongest.

These rankings are based on IATA tickets originating in Sydney or Melbourne with Athens as the final destination, excluding trips involving separate tickets or stopovers longer than 24 hours at intermediate points.

Sydney and Melbourne account for nearly 72% of traffic from Australia to Athens, followed by Brisbane (11%), Perth (8%), and Adelaide (6%).

Project ‘Sunrise’ – the final frontier

For the Australian market, the ultimate goal is to establish a direct flight route from Australia’s East Coast to Athens.

The timing couldn’t be better, with Qantas Airways launching its pioneering Project “Sunrise”, which aims to introduce direct flights from Australia’s East Coast to any destination worldwide.

Athens/Greece presents a strong business case for direct flights, supported by several factors:

– Australia is home to one of the largest Greek and Cypriot diaspora communities in the world.
– According to the Athens International Airport Passenger Survey, the Australian market for Athens reached 300,000 round-trip passengers in 2023.
– Travel demand from Australia to Athens continues to rise, recording a 14% growth in the first seven months of 2024 compared to the previous year.
– Athens serves as the first entry point to Europe from the East/Southeast, offering a shorter flight time compared to other European destinations—an economic advantage for such an operation.

A direct flight from Australia to Athens would also facilitate optimal connections to the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe, offering better travel options for passengers from Australia to our region.

View also:

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

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

Market Analysis III: Athens Airport’s Top Markets – GERMANY

Market Analysis IV: Athens Airport’s Top Markets – FRANCE

Market Analysis V: Athens Airport’s Top Markets – ITALY

Market Analysis VI: Athens Airport’s Top Markets – CHINA

Market Analysis VII: Athens Airport’s Top Markets – POLAND

Market Analysis VIII: Athens Airport’s Top Markets – UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Market Analysis IX: Athens Airport’s Top Markets – CANADA