March Traffic Skydives While Domestic Flights Keep Calm
Heraklion Airport wrapped up March 2025 with an eyebrow-raising 36.22% drop in international passengers compared to last year. A total of 13,275 people either arrived or departed on international flights, a steep fall from the 20,813 recorded in March 2024. Faced with such numbers, optimism appears to have boarded an earlier flight.
Highlights at a Glance
- 36.22% plunge in international passenger traffic compared to March 2024.
- 13,275 international passengers handled (March 2025), down from 20,813 last year.
- 120 international flights operated, including regular and chartered services.
- 25 charter flights—a segment that practically tiptoed out of the spotlight.
Domestic operations, meanwhile, offered a more grounded performance. This segment saw 886 domestic flights welcoming 69,490 passengers and sending off 68,525. That’s a 6.07% increase in passenger traffic over March 2024, when numbers hovered around 65,511 arrivals. Local skies have their fan base.
International Horror Show vs Domestic Positivity
While domestic operations celebrated incremental growth with the understated cheer of an airport lounge announcement, international flights decided to play the role of the party pooper. Foreign carriers operating through Heraklion managed to conduct just 120 flights, moving a modest 10,368 arrivals and 6,108 departures.
Looking at country-specific data, Germany led the pack with 3,597 passengers, followed by France with 2,448. Other key players included Britain (1,889), the Netherlands (1,335), and surprise guest Czechia (1,056). Europe’s party was BYOP: Bring Your Own Passengers.
A Mixed Bag for Heraklion Airport
Heraklion Airport handled 1,375 flights for March 2025, with 82,892 passengers arriving and 76,757 departing. While the domestic bump hinted at small victories, the glaring absence of international visitors painted a stark picture overall.
Airlines on the home front did most of the heavy lifting, with Greek carriers accounting for 827 of the 886 domestic flights. Banking on nearly 65,000 passengers from these routes, one has to wonder if the “support local” mantra somehow extended to aviation.
For now, the numbers tell two very different stories—one of modest domestic growth and one of international flights struggling to fill seats. With Germany and France setting the international pace, it’s hard not to notice how reliant traffic remains on just a handful of regions. These contrasts highlight the tightrope the airport is walking in its recovery journey.
