The Acropolis in Athens. Photo: Cocosss / Shutterstock.com Greece is expected to offer fewer seats on international flights this coming winter, but data show different trends across its main aviation markets.
According to the latest figures from the Greek Tourism Research Institute INSETE, based on flight schedules, between November 2026 and March 2027, approximately 6.05 million seats are planned on international flights to Greece, compared to approximately 6.2 million in the same period last year, a decrease of 2.4%.
The main shopping street of Athens, Ermou. Photo: ShutterstockGermany remains Greece's largest winter source market, with around 795.6 thousand seats, but this is a decrease of 10.4%. The United Kingdom, one of the most significant markets for Greek tourism, also fell by 10.9% to around 473 thousand seats. Italy records a decrease of 5.9%, while Turkey remains almost unchanged.
On the positive side of the data, Egypt stands out, showing the sharpest increase among the markets examined: 77.9%, to approximately 188.3 thousand seats - an increase of more than 82 thousand seats compared to the previous winter.
Cyprus is also showing significant strength, with a 7.5% increase to approximately 524,300 seats. As a result, it climbs from fourth to second place in the ranking of Greece's source markets, overtaking Italy and the UK. Further increases were recorded from Spain (9.6%), the Netherlands (9%) and France (3.9%).
In the airport sector, there are no major surprises as Athens continues to concentrate the bulk of international activity to Greece, with approximately 5.1 million seats scheduled for the season, more than 84% of total international capacity in the winter season, and an increase of 1.5% compared to last year.
Thessaloniki Airport is showing a significant decrease of 24.7%, to approximately 703,000 seats. Several regional airports are also recording sharp declines, including Chania (-40.6%), Kos (-30.6%), and Kalamata (-25.3%). In contrast, Heraklion in Crete and Corfu are expected to see increases of 13.6% and 14.1%, respectively.
Aegean planes in Athens. Photo: Konstantinos Dimitros / Shutterstock