Athens, February 11 – Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” (ATH) has announced a new record year in 2025, handling 34 million passengers. This represents a remarkable 33% growth compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019 and an almost 7% increase from 2024 figures, positioning Athens as the fastest-growing capital and major airport in Europe, according to ACI-Europe.
Unprecedented Growth Trajectory Continues
The airport’s spectacular traffic growth continued throughout 2025, culminating in its best year ever. The 34 million round-trip passengers mark a 6.7% increase over the previous record year of 2024. International traffic was the primary driver of this growth, increasing by 8.6% with an additional 1.93 million passengers. Domestic traffic also saw a positive trend, growing by 2.2% with 209,000 additional passengers. The international segment accounted for 90% of the overall growth, with its share of the airport’s total traffic reaching 73% for the full year 2025.
Cumulatively, Athens International Airport has welcomed an astonishing 11.3 million additional passengers over the last three years, or approximately 1,000 days. This significant expansion underscores the airport’s robust recovery and impressive trajectory since the pandemic.
Demand Meets Supply: Strong Load Factors Maintained
The impressive 6.7% growth in passenger traffic was supported by a corresponding 7.0% growth in available capacity compared to 2024. Despite the addition of 2.7 million seats on scheduled passenger services, the airport maintained a very high average load factor of 81% for the full year. The strongest improvements in load factor were observed during the winter months of December, November, and January 2025, compared to the same period in 2024.
Expanded Network and Key Markets
In 2025, Athens International Airport was directly connected to 55 countries and 174 airport destinations, comprising 141 international and 33 domestic routes. Seventy airlines offered scheduled passenger services. The network was further enhanced with the introduction of 8 new destinations and 13 additional new services on existing routes, along with the addition of 5 new airlines joining the Athens network.
Italy emerged as Athens’ top international market in direct passenger traffic, showing a 4% growth compared to 2024. All top 10 international markets recorded growth, with Israel, the USA, Spain, and Turkey achieving double-digit growth rates. Athens’ direct long-haul network, including routes to the US, Canada, China, and Singapore, experienced strong growth with a 15.1% increase in passenger traffic for 2025 compared to 2024. Within the top 20 rankings, Hungary, Albania, and Denmark also recorded significant growth rates exceeding 20% over 2024.
Origin & Destination Traffic and Tourism Demand
Based on IATA-AirportIS O&D figures for the full year 2025, Athens’ O&D traffic increased by 7.2% compared to 2024. Italy remained the strongest international O&D market with a robust 7% growth. The USA solidified its position as Athens’ second strongest O&D market, reaching 2 million round-trip passengers for the first time ever in 2025, with a spectacular 12% growth over the previous year. Additionally, Israel, Cyprus, Spain, and Switzerland achieved strong double-digit growth rates in O&D traffic.
Foreign Residents’ International arrivals, as measured by Athens International Airport’s own passenger survey, reached an all-time high of 8.72 million one-way passengers, a significant 10% increase from 2024. This metric, crucial for gauging tourism demand, highlights the USA as the strongest international market for foreign arrivals. The successful extension of the tourism season in Athens is further evidenced by the strong growth in foreign arrivals during the winter months of January, November, and December, compared to 2024.
Greek Outbound Travel and Future Outlook
Beyond inbound tourism, Greeks traveling internationally also demonstrated significant growth, with almost 6.8 million international trips, representing a 6.4% increase. This indicates evolving dynamics within the Athens market, where traffic is not solely dependent on inbound flows. Italy was the strongest destination for Greek outbound travelers, with a 3% growth compared to 2024, followed by the UK and Cyprus, with demand for Cyprus increasing by 7%. London remained the most popular city destination for Greeks, more than double the size of the second most popular destination, Larnaca, which saw a 39% increase in Greek travelers compared to 2024.
The positive momentum has carried into 2026, with January alone showing an 8.6% increase in passenger traffic compared to January 2025. During this month, Athens almost reached 2 million monthly passengers, with both international and domestic segments demonstrating strong growth rates of 9.2% and 7.1% respectively, resulting in 158,000 additional passengers. Flights in January 2026 also increased by 7.3%, leading to improved load factors compared to the same month last year. New network developments already announced for 2026 are expected to pave the way for another spectacular year for Athens International Airport.
Source: routesonline.com
