Athens International Airport is among the most successful airports in Europe, with a top performance in terms of service quality, service and sustainability.
As highlighted at the 25th Airline Marketing Workshop event entitled “25 years routing for you”, Athens International Airport, with 34 million passengers in 2025, a presence in 55 countries, 174 destinations and 70 airlines, is now entering its second 25 years with a new strategic challenge: growth with resilience and a green transition.
The airport’s management and international partners took stock of the journey of the last 25 years and mapped the challenges of the day ahead.
Giorgos Kalimassias: Sustainability and resilience are at the core of our strategy
Airport CEO George Kalimassias said sustainability and resilience are at the core of our strategy. “We have been focused on resilience for the past few years and through a series of partnerships and focused strategies we are striving to continuously improve. At the moment, the challenges posed by the geopolitical factor are a given with fuel prices – indicatively – creating challenges and impacts, however we are optimistic that conditions will calm down. We are called upon to face them with discipline and preparedness, always focusing on the traveller’s experience. We remain optimistic, but also prepared, with discipline and readiness,” Kalimassias said.
The Seven Major Crises
AIA’s Director of Communications and Marketing, Ioanna Papadopoulou, referred to the seven major crises since the airport’s opening in 2001 to date that the airport has had to manage and that have defined its operations and strategy.
From the 9/11 attacks and the international health threat, to the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the financial crisis, the Greek fiscal adventure of 2010-2016 and of course the COVID-19 pandemic, “El. Venizelos was constantly faced with extreme conditions of uncertainty. Today, the war in Ukraine and the tension in the Middle East confirm that geopolitical instability remains a permanent pressure factor.
“Yet these crises have not only served as obstacles, but also as catalysts for transformation…Today, among other things, we celebrate resilience. Since AIA’s first day of operation, over 440 million travellers have travelled to and from Athens International Airport to date,” said Ioanna Papadopoulou.
Based on the figures from 2001 to date it has served about 440 million passengers, and by 2025 it closed with 34 million passengers, more than doubling the figures of the previous decade. From around 12 million travellers in its early years of operation, the airport has grown to become a key hub for South East Europe and the country’s strategic gateway to the world. Foreign visitors now account for two-thirds of total passenger traffic, confirming the internationalisation of the market.
In 2007, foreign visitors had reached 3.48 million, out of a total of 17 million passengers. In 2019, which was the best year of the immediately preceding decade, international arrivals reached 6.41 million in 2019, and now in the record year for the airport, in 2025, the corresponding figure rose to 8.72 million travelers in 2025.
In the entire 25-year period, international arrivals to Athens through the airport exceeded 92 million, while more than 350 development initiatives – 217 new destinations and 139 airline partnerships – have significantly strengthened the network.
The network has expanded significantly from 121 destinations in 2007 to 174 in 2025, boosted mainly in high-potential markets such as North America, the Middle East and Africa. Indeed, the recent direct link to India is an indicative step in this direction.
Italy in first place
According to the data, Italy is in first place in the top 10 countries for Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos”>. With 2.3 million travellers (Greek and foreign), Italy overtook Germany in 2025, which finished in second place with 2.19 million, The top five was completed by France (1.55 million) and Cyprus (1.52 million), stable values in the table of the most “powerful” of Athens airport. The US has gained significant ground compared to 2019, ranking sixth with 1.45 million travellers in 2025 compared to 0.6 million in 2019. This was followed by Turkey (1.3 million), Israel (1.18 million), Spain (1.16 million) and Switzerland (0.9 million).
Dynamic trend continues in 2026
The dynamic trend continues in 2026, with passenger traffic in the first quarter reaching 6.28 million, up 8.1% compared to the same period in 2025. In 2025, Athens International Airport was connected to 55 countries at 174 airports and destinations via 70 airlines. Of the total destinations, 33 were in Greece, 102 in Europe, 15 in the Middle East, 11 in the Americas, 9 in Africa and 4 in Asia. For this year at AIA there have been added 3 new airlines (AnimaWings, IndiGo and TAP Air Portugal), three new routes by airlines such as AEGEAN to Bari and Paphos and TAP Air to Lisbon and 11 new destinations Casablanca and Rotterdam by AEGEAN, Cluj and Timisoara by AnimaWings, Dallas by American Airlines, Delhi and Mumbai by IndiGo, Gdansk and Varna by WizzAir, Tallinn by airBaltic and Verona by Volotea.
