Brussels Airlines Launches Year-Round Flights to Athens, Greece

Brussels Airlines, the Belgian flag carrier, announced on Tuesday that it will now operate year-round flights between Brussels and Athens.

During a media briefing in Athens, Brussels Airlines Head of Network and Planning Jan Derycke highlighted a growing demand for year-round travel between Greece and Brussels.

“At Brussels Airlines, we are expanding our operations and aim to connect all major European capitals to the capital of Europe. Therefore, establishing year-round connections between Athens and Brussels is a logical choice,” he said.

Brussels Airlines Head of Network and Planning Jan Derycke. Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

Starting in the winter season of 2024-2025, Brussels Airlines will operate four weekly flights to Athens.

From early November, flights from Athens International Airport (AIA) will depart every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10:50am, arriving in Brussels at 3:05pm. On Sundays, flights from Athens will depart at 7:00am and arrive in Brussels at 11:15am.

Return flights will depart from Brussels on the same days at 3:50pm, arriving in Athens at 6:15pm. On Sundays, flights from Brussels will leave at 12:05pm and arrive in Athens at 2:30pm.

During the briefing, AIA Director of Communications & Marketing Ioanna Papadopoulou highlighted that Brussels Airlines’ decision to launch year-round flights is expected to stimulate demand between the two destinations, particularly during the off-peak season.

AIA Director of Communications & Marketing Ioanna Papadopoulou. Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

“We are truly excited about Brussels Airlines’ commitment to strengthen and extend its flights from its significant hub in Brussels to the dynamic city of Athens and its airport,” Papadopoulou said.

In addition to its own flights, Brussels Airlines codeshares with AEGEAN on their routes between Athens and Brussels.

Brussels Airlines flew to 9 Greek destinations in summer 2024

Until now, all Greek destinations in the Belgian airline’s schedule were seasonal. During the summer season of 2024, Brussels Airlines operated flights to nine destinations in Greece: Athens, Corfu, Zakynthos, Rhodes, Kos, Heraklion (Crete), Chania (Crete), Samos, and Lesvos.

Except for Athens, all other destinations served by Brussels Airlines in Greece are primarily leisure-oriented, exhibiting strong seasonal demand.

Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

According to data by the airline, Athens attracts a mixed audience of both leisure and corporate travelers. Notably, 62 percent of passengers on the Brussels-Athens route originate from Brussels, while 21 percent originate in Athens. Additionally, 17 percent of passengers transfer via Brussels to reach Athens.

Moreover, during the briefing, Derycke indicated that the airline is exploring opportunities to launch flights to other Greek destinations, including Thessaloniki, Mykonos, and Santorini in the future.

The Belgian market: A growing market for Athens Airport

According to data provided by Papadopoulou, the Belgian market at Athens Airport is experiencing robust growth. Recent figures indicate that Belgium ranks 15th in terms of direct international traffic (both Greek and foreign travelers) to Athens Airport, with 376,000 passengers recorded. This represents a 3 percent increase compared to 2023 and a remarkable 25 percent increase compared to the same period in 2019, prior to the pandemic.

Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

In terms of foreign travelers, Belgium ranked 13th among the top 20 markets at Athens Airport. Between January and September 2024, there were 145,000 international arrivals from Belgium, marking a 13 percent increase compared to the same period last year and a 15 percent rise compared to the first nine months of 2019.

Direct traffic between Athens and Belgium has seen a steady increase over the past decade, surpassing pre-pandemic levels of 396,000 passengers in 2022. In 2023, this figure reached an impressive 475,000 passengers, with a target of achieving a new record of half a million passengers in 2024. The highest growth rates are expected during the off-peak period from February to April.

Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

Athens attracts a diverse audience of both leisure and business travelers from Belgium. Passengers on the route between Brussels and Athens primarily originate from Brussels (62 percent), while 21 percent come from Athens. Additionally, 17 percent of passengers transfer through Brussels to reach Athens.

Brussels Airlines, with a fleet of 44 aircraft, was established following the bankruptcy of Sabena and transported over 8.3 million passengers in 2023 to more than 90 international destinations, including all 18 destinations in sub-Saharan Africa. In the previous year, the airline reported operating income of 1.6 billion euros and employed 3,575 staff members from 62 different nationalities. Notably, the Belgian airline experienced a 168 percent increase in passenger traffic to Athens Airport from 2014 to 2023.

Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

As a hub airline, Brussels Airlines allows passengers from Greece to connect to its extensive European and intercontinental network via Brussels Airport. The most popular connecting destinations for Greek travelers include Toulouse (France), Manchester (United Kingdom), and Gothenburg (Sweden), most of which do not have direct flight connections to Athens.

Brussels Airlines is one of the four Lufthansa Group network airlines and member of Star Alliance.