Tourism: December kicks off with new flights to Greece in 2026

Greece welcomes 2026 with strong momentum in air transport, as international airlines launch new routes to top Greek destinations, strengthening connectivity and demand for Greek tourism. New flights from major markets such as Italy, Poland, Serbia, the United Kingdom, Israel, and Saudi Arabia are expected to further boost travel to Greece during the 2026 summer season.

New air connections to Greece from international, European and non-European destinations were added toward the end of 2025, with December further enhancing the outlook for the new year for Greek tourism.

Recently, Wizz Air announced the addition of two new connections to Greece for the upcoming season, from its base at Rome Fiumicino Airport.

The carrier will offer the new Rome–Rhodes route every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, starting on 28 June 2026, with ticket prices starting from €45.99.

One day later, the Rome–Kefalonia route will begin, operating every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at the same fare level.

With the addition of eight new routes, the airline increases its connections from Fiumicino across Europe and the Middle East to 72 destinations in 28 countries.

Connections with Heraklion strengthened from Poland

New momentum in travel flows from Poland to Crete is expected for the summer season of 2026, as Corendon Airlines Europe introduces new flights to Heraklion from Katowice and Warsaw.

According to current scheduling, the airline will operate two weekly flights from each city to Nikos Kazantzakis Airport, using Boeing 737-800 aircraft, covering the period from 25 April to 29 August 2026.

The Katowice–Heraklion connection returns after September 2022, underlining renewed demand from Polish travelers for Crete. Flights will operate every Tuesday and Saturday. Departure from Katowice will be at 18:45 (flight XR3203), arriving in Heraklion at 22:15, while the return flight (XR3204) will depart Crete at 16:00, arriving in Poland at 17:45.

The new Warsaw–Heraklion route will operate every Wednesday and Saturday. Flight XR3201 will depart Warsaw at 11:05, arriving in Heraklion at 14:55 on Saturdays and at 15:05 on Wednesdays. The return flight to Warsaw (XR3202) will depart Heraklion at 08:00, arriving in the Polish capital at 10:05.

Corendon Airlines Europe’s expanded program is expected to further support the flow of tourists from the Polish market to Crete, which in recent years has shown strong performance and growing interest in Greek Mediterranean destinations.

New connections to Chania and Kalamata from London

At the same time, BA EuroFlyer has opened bookings for two new routes to Greece. The British Airways subsidiary further strengthens its presence in the Greek market for summer 2026, adding two new routes to Crete and the Peloponnese.

The airline will offer direct flights London (Gatwick)–Chania and London (Gatwick)–Kalamata, operated with Airbus A320/321 aircraft.

The new Chania service begins on 30 April 2026 with two weekly flights, while from 21 May 2026 the route will be upgraded to a daily service, significantly boosting seat availability to Western Crete during the peak tourist season.

At the same time, the Kalamata route will commence on 24 May 2026 with two weekly flights.

New Belgrade–Santorini flights are coming

Air Serbia has added the new Belgrade–Santorini connection for summer 2026. The route will operate from 30 April to 27 September 2026, with two weekly flights operated by Embraer E195 aircraft.

Specifically, flights with code JU558 will depart Belgrade at 12:05 every Sunday and at 12:15 every Thursday, arriving in Santorini at 14:55 and 15:05 respectively. Return flights (JU559) will depart Thira at 15:45 on Sundays and at 15:55 on Thursdays, arriving in Belgrade at 16:40 and 16:50 respectively.

New connections from Israel to Santorini and Thessaloniki

Santorini remains one of the most iconic Greek destinations for Israeli travelers, with Blue Bird Airways adding the Cycladic island to its flight program for summer 2026.

The airline will offer the new Tel Aviv–Santorini route from 12 June to 2 October 2026, with two weekly flights.

The airline further strengthens its presence in the Greek market by also offering the new Tel Aviv–Thessaloniki route, another popular destination for Israeli visitors. Flights will begin on 20 May 2026 and will operate three times per week.

Saudia’s new Airbus A321XLR on Riyadh–Athens flights

At the same time, Saudia is gradually introducing the new Airbus A321XLR into its operational program from the second quarter of 2026, with Athens among the destinations where the advanced long-range aircraft will be deployed.

According to the latest schedule, the airline plans to operate the A321XLR on the Riyadh–Athens route on one of the three weekly flights during the period 5–26 August 2026. However, in reservation systems the route still appears with an A320, meaning passengers should expect official confirmation closer to the launch date. Saudia’s new A321XLR will feature a 144-seat configuration, with 24 seats in business class and 120 in economy.

Eurowings–Smartwings codeshare agreement for Greek routes

Finally, Eurowings has expanded its codeshare agreement with Smartwings, as a result of which Smartwings will operate flights on behalf of Eurowings to three Greek destinations.

The new routes added to the codeshare network include Prague–Corfu, Prague–Kos, and Prague–Thessaloniki, which will be operated with Smartwings aircraft and crews, but carrying Eurowings flight numbers.

This move offers greater flexibility and increased options for travelers from the Czech market choosing Greek destinations, while at the same time strengthening cooperation between the two airlines in a highly competitive European aviation environment.