Some of Greece’s lesser-known and largely overlooked regional airports are stealing the spotlight this year, recording the highest percentage increases in scheduled seat capacity between March and October. This is according to data from the Airdata tracker maintained by the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (INSETE).
The figures reveal a clear trend: airlines are expanding beyond the country’s established hotspots, increasingly tapping into destinations that were previously off the radar. Of the top five airports with the highest growth in scheduled capacity — all showing double-digit increases — four are located outside of Greece’s major urban centers.
Leading the pack is Nea Anchialos Airport near Volos, which saw a remarkable 72.7% surge in scheduled seats compared to last year. It’s followed by Araxos Airport in western Greece, with a 29.5% rise. Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, ranks third with a 13.8% increase.
Kalamata Airport, a gateway to the southern Peloponnese, is in fourth place, reporting a 12.1% rise in scheduled seats, rounding out the top five is Aktion Airport near Preveza, with an 11.4% increase.
Airlines Turn to Emerging Destinations
This surge is partly driven by international carriers “discovering” these secondary airports and launching new routes. For instance, Nea Anchialos Airport is seeing renewed interest, with six different airlines operating eight weekly flights this season, including both scheduled and charter services.
Volos will be directly connected to six destinations: Brussels, Heraklion, Tel Aviv, Brno, Düsseldorf, and Paris Orly. Ryanair is launching regular flights to Brussels, Sky Express will connect Volos with Heraklion, and Israel’s Arkia Airlines will fly to Tel Aviv.
Czech carrier Smartwings adds Brno to the list, Germany’s Eurowings connects to Düsseldorf, and Transavia France is linking Volos to Paris Orly from May 25 through October 11.
Source: tovima.com
