Greece’s airports are on track for a record year, with passenger traffic expected to exceed 60 million in the first eight months of 2026, surpassing initial expectations and putting the country on course to set a new annual record.
According to tourism and aviation industry officials, demand for Greece remains strong despite geopolitical tensions. Passenger traffic across the country’s 39 airports is expected to increase by more than 4.5% compared with the same period in 2025, when approximately 57.5 million passengers were recorded during the first eight months.
For the full year, passenger traffic is expected to exceed the 83.3 million passengers recorded in 2025.
Athens airport surpasses 23.7 million passengers
Passenger traffic at Athens International Airport reached 23.71 million in the first eight months of 2026, up 4.4% from the same period last year.
Domestic traffic increased by 4.3%, while international traffic rose 4.4%.
The airport handled 198,571 flights during the eight-month period, an increase of 3.9% compared with 2025. Domestic flights increased by 4.8%, while international flights rose 3.2%.
For the full year, passenger traffic at Athens airport is expected to exceed 35 million, compared with approximately 34 million in 2025.
August also marked a new milestone for the airport, with monthly passenger traffic surpassing 4 million for the first time.
A total of 4.03 million passengers traveled through Athens airport in August, an increase of 3.7% compared with August 2025. Domestic traffic increased by 2.4%, while international traffic rose 4.3%.
Regional airports post 5.3% increase
The 14 regional airports operated by Fraport Greece handled 27.71 million passengers in the first eight months of 2026, compared with 26.31 million during the same period in 2025. That represents an increase of 5.3%.
Fraport Greece expects total passenger traffic at the 14 airports to approach 39 million for the full year, compared with approximately 37 million in 2025.
August was another record month, with the 14 airports handling more than 7 million passengers, up 5.1% from August 2025.
Fraport Greece reported 7.1 million passengers in August, compared with 6.79 million a year earlier. Domestic traffic accounted for 968,000 passengers, up 5.7%, while international traffic reached 6.2 million, an increase of 5%.
International passengers accounted for 86% of total traffic at the 14 airports during the month, compared with 14% for domestic traffic.
The increase was driven primarily by international traffic, with particularly strong performance at the airports of Corfu, Thessaloniki, Rhodes, Chania, Kefalonia, Mykonos and Skiathos.
Despite geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, traffic linked to the region did not record a decline in August. Instead, it increased by 20.6%.
Corfu airport also surpassed 1 million passengers in a single month during August.
State-run airports also on track for growth
Passenger traffic at the 24 airports managed by Greece’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is expected to increase by more than 3.5% during the first eight months of 2026 compared with 2025.
The airports include those serving major destinations such as Heraklion, Kalamata, Alexandroupoli, Chios, Karpathos, Paros, Naxos, Sitia and Syros, among others.
Full passenger figures for August and the first eight months are expected to be released in the coming days.
Heraklion airport sets new records
Heraklion’s Nikos Kazantzakis Airport continues to post strong passenger growth, with repeated records during the 2026 season.
On August 1, 2026, the airport handled 68,818 passengers in a single day, its highest daily passenger figure on record.
By August 23, total passenger traffic had reached 6.81 million, an increase of 4.6%. International arrivals totaled 2.88 million, up 5.1%.
The airport passed the 10 million-passenger threshold for the first time in 2025, when it handled 10,033,151 passengers.
Current traffic figures indicate that the historic milestone could be surpassed again in 2026, with the airport potentially reaching an even higher annual total.
