- Flights are now available from Bremen, Friedrichshafen, Memmingen, Paderborn/Lippstadt, and Saarbrücken.
- The airline maintains its strong presence in Antalya, offering service flights from 13 German cities.
- 2026 marks 25 years of operation for the carrier since its maiden flight in 2001.
The connection between the German traveler and the Cretan sun is tightening. Freebird Airlines, through its European subsidiary based in Malta, has announced a significant expansion of its summer schedule. While Cologne/Bonn was already on the map, the carrier is now tapping into Germany’s regional hubs—Bremen, Friedrichshafen, Memmingen, Paderborn/Lippstadt, and Saarbrücken—funneling more traffic directly into Heraklion.
This move signals a strategic bet on Crete’s enduring popularity, even as the airline continues to fortify its primary gateway in Antalya. For the traveler in Paderborn or Saarbrücken, the path to a Cretan summer just got considerably shorter, bypassing the need for long layovers in major metropolitan hubs.
Twenty-Five Years in the Sky
This expansion comes at a milestone moment. Freebird is celebrating a quarter-century of flight, a journey that began on April 5, 2001, with a single route from Istanbul to Lyon. For two decades, the airline built its reputation in the charter sector before pivotally entering the scheduled flight market in 2022.
The establishment of Freebird Airlines Europe in 2019 was a tactical maneuver that enabled the company to integrate more effectively into the European network. By leveraging its Malta-based subsidiary, Freebird can navigate EU regulations and provide the connectivity that regional German airports are increasingly seeking.
Despite the Cretan push, Türkiye remains the heart of Freebird’s operation. During the peak summer season, the airline will operate to Antalya from 13 German airports, including Berlin, Düsseldorf, Munich, and Stuttgart. It is a massive logistics web designed to capture the high-volume vacation market, positioning Heraklion as a key secondary pillar within a network spanning the eastern Mediterranean.
