- Fraport Greece successfully squeezed 1.8 million passengers through its 14 regional airports this April, marking a 3.2% increase regardless of the persistent volatility in the Middle East.
- Chania Airport was the undisputed star of the show, posting a massive 26.4% jump in traffic thanks to budget airlines dumping northern Europeans on our shores ahead of schedule.
- Flight traffic to and from Israel collapsed by a staggering 92.5%, draining 45,000 travelers from the market and leaving Rhodes and Thessaloniki to absorb the hit.
- Despite the boasts of higher total numbers, average flight occupancy actually dropped to 77.3%, meaning airlines are flying more half-empty planes just to hit their quotas.
Because apparently a literal war zone down the road isn’t enough to deter the global hunger for a Greek holiday, Fraport Greece managed to clock a 3.2% increase in passenger traffic this April. A total of 1.8 million travelers shuffled through the company’s 14 regional hubs. That is 56,000 more souls than the same time last year, proving that nothing stops the tourism machinery from churning.
The domestic front saw a 4.9% boost with 640,000 passengers, while international arrivals grew by a modest 2.3% to cross 1.2 million.
The dark comedy of these numbers lies in the flight efficiency. While Fraport is busy celebrating the higher headcounts, the average load factor actually fell from 79.4% last year to 77.3%. Translation? Airlines are running more flights with empty middle seats, burning fuel to transport the illusion of a booming season. But hey, as long as the airport turnstiles keep clicking, who cares about efficiency?
Chania Saves the Day as Western Crete Braces for Impact
While some regions struggled, Chania Airport decided to carry the weight of the entire country’s tourism ambitions. The western Cretan hub logged an extra 32,000 travelers, exploding by 26.4% compared to April 2025.
We can thank the corporate strategists at easyJet and Jet2 for this sudden blessing, as they decided to kick off their Amsterdam and UK routes ridiculously early. Ryanair jumped into the fray too, adding a brand-new route to Ireland just to ensure the local tavernas were packed before the spring flowers could even bloom.
Santorini also saw an upward tick, adding 21,000 passengers to its roster—a 16.4% increase. Of course, this is mostly local traffic and a handful of Transavia flights from France and the Netherlands, and the island’s numbers are still miserably below its glory days of 2024. But let’s not let historical context ruin a good corporate press release.
The Geopolitical Reality Check in Rhodes and Thessaloniki
The party wasn’t quite as loud in the north or on the eastern islands. The conflict in the Middle East delivered a brutal blow to the Israeli market, which historically keeps local cash registers ringing. Traffic to and from Israel plummeted by a jaw-dropping 92.5%, resulting in 45,000 fewer visitors.
Rhodes and Thessaloniki bore the brunt of this collapse. Rhodes lost 25,000 Israeli travelers (a 91.8% drop), while Thessaloniki watched 18,000 passengers vanish, marking a 92.8% decline.
While Israeli airlines like EL AL and Israir tried to stage a mini-rescue mission by mid-April, the total withdrawal of Middle Eastern carriers left a massive hole. Thessaloniki only managed to stay in the green (+3.1%) because budget flights from Poland, Italy, Germany, the UK, and Turkey stepped in to replace the deficit. Meanwhile, arrivals from Romania, Cyprus, and Finland also took a dive, just to keep things interesting.
At the end of the day, Fraport Greece is laughing all the way to the bank. Since they took over operations, they have processed 256 million passengers.
