Passenger traffic at Greek airports recorded a 7.6% rise in the first quarter of 2026, according to the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA).

The data revealed that nearly 9.3 million passengers transited the country’s airports compared to a little over 8.5 million in 2025 over the same period.

Aircraft arrivals across Greece’s 39 airports (domestic and international plane arrivals and departures) rose 6.8 percent in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier, with a total of 80,122 flights recorded against 75,038 in 2025, according to data released by the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA).

Passenger traffic at the 24 airports directly managed by the HCAA posted even stronger growth, climbing 12.5 percent year-on-year in the January-March period. Total passengers — covering both domestic and international arrivals and departures — reached 769,866, up from 684,405 in the first quarter of 2025.

The HCAA-managed network includes Heraklion, Kalamata, Alexandroupoli, Lemnos, Astypalaia, Ioannina, Chios, Kozani, Kastoria, Karpathos, Kythira, Milos, Skyros, Nea Anchialos, Paros, Syros, Araxos, Naxos, Kalymnos, Ikaria, Kastellorizo, Kasos, Leros, and Siteia.

Passenger traffic across the 24 HCAA airports accelerated further in March, posting a 16.8 percent increase compared with March 2025. Heraklion airport recorded the strongest individual performance, with passenger numbers rising 18.8 percent to 189,317, up from 159,308 in the same month the previous year.