Summer… smells like winter in the flight schedule of airlines for Greece, as the flight schedule for November – March is shaping up at levels that are reminiscent of the pre-start of the season and not a “dead” period, as airline seats for the five months reach 6,311,385, with an increase of 11.5% compared to the winter 24/25.
According to the latest data from INSETE’s airdata tracker, the monthly distribution confirms the acceleration recorded, as November closes with 1,357,211 seats (+21.5%), December with 1,288,657 seats (+20.4%), January with 1,151,059 seats (+18.2%), February with 1,091,814 seats (+17.3%) and March with 1,422,644 seats (+22.5%). In the meantime, it should be emphasized that March, with an increase of over 22%, ceases to function as a transitional month and essentially becomes the month of the start of the season.
As for the markets supplying Greek tourism, the main European pillars maintain their steady strength:
Germany 898,065 seats (+5%)
United Kingdom 533,531 seats (+4%)
Italy 522,420 seats (+10.5%)
France 266,406 seats (+5.9%)
Netherlands 210,976 seats (+2.6%)
USA 97,566 seats (+6.2%)
Gathering the data from INSETE and focusing on Greek destinations, Thessaloniki records a 76.1% increase in its airline seats, a figure that is difficult to find in winter programming. At this point, it should be emphasized that Crete is also moving with excellent momentum, since Heraklion is moving with +39.7% and Chania +66.4%.
Rhodes recorded a 44.6% increase, while Kos recorded the most impressive change in the country with +97.3%. At the same time, Aktio also strengthened by 51.7%.
Moreover, Athens also maintains its role as a stable pillar of incoming tourism in the winter, with an increase of 10.2%, confirming its position as the hub that supplies the rest of the country.
It is worth noting that the only decline is noted in Kalamata (-7%), while Kefalonia records a positive change of 11.5%.
In any case, the above data capture an image and not actual arrivals, at least for now. However, they give a signal that the attractiveness of Greece is indeed strong in the winter, at least in the main destinations.
