Greek Airports Set New Passenger Traffic Record for January-November

Greek airports have achieved a significant milestone in 2024, with passenger traffic reaching a new record for the first eleven months of the year. This achievement comes ahead of the year’s end and reflects the continued growth of Greece’s aviation sector.

According to data from the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA) and Hellenic Aviation Service Provider (HASP), passenger traffic has surpassed the total recorded for the entire year of 2023, based on recent statistics for October and November 2024.

Growth in passenger traffic and aircraft movements

During the period from January to November 2024, passenger traffic across all 39 commercial airports in Greece increased by 9.3 percent compared to the same period in 2023. In total, 76,249,626 passengers traveled through Greek airports, up from 69,774,369 in 2023.

The number of aircraft movements, which includes both domestic and international arrivals and departures, also saw a positive trend. There was a 7.5 percent increase in aircraft movements, totaling 577,118 flights in 2024, compared to 536,679 flights during the same period in 2023.

It is noted that these figures include passenger traffic from Athens International Airport (AIA), 24 state-managed airports, and 14 regional airports operated by Fraport Greece.

State-managed airports show solid growth

The 24 airports managed by the HCAA (Heraklion, Kalamata, Alexandroupoli, Limnos, Astypalea, Ionnina, Chios, Kozani, Kastoria, Karpathos, Kythira, Milos, Skyros, Nea Anchialos, Paros, Syros, Araxos, Naxos, Kalymnos, Ikaria, Kastelorizo, Kassos, Leros, Sitia) experienced an 8.1 percent increase in passenger traffic between January and November 2024, compared to 2023.

The total number of passengers served at these airports reached 11,733,395, up from 10,849,363 in 2023.

Heraklion leads regional airports in November

Notably, Heraklion International Airport “Nikos Kazantzakis” saw the highest passenger traffic among Greece’s regional airports in November 2024, with 225,234 passengers, marking a 26.3 percent increase from the 178,376 passengers recorded in November 2023.

Other regional airports managed by the HCAA also saw significant growth in November, with Ikaria Airport leading with a 64.5 percent increase, followed by Naxos (33 percent) and Astypalea (29.9 percent).

Athens International Airport reports strong growth

Athens International Airport (AIA) continued its positive performance in 2024, with passenger traffic reaching 29.73 million during the first eleven months of the year, an increase of 13.0 percent compared to 2023. Domestic traffic grew by 7.4 percent, while international traffic saw a larger increase of 15.5 percent. In November alone, AIA recorded 2.15 million passengers, a 13.3 percent rise from the same month in 2023.

Fraport Greece’s regional airports continue to grow

Fraport Greece, which manages 14 regional airports, recorded 35.2 million passengers between January and November 2024, representing a 6.4 percent increase compared to the previous year. November alone saw an impressive growth rate of 11.6 percent, with Rhodes Airport performing as the top performer among the Fraport-managed airports. However, Mykonos Airport experienced a slight decline in passenger numbers during the same period.