Passenger traffic increases in April – Easter was positive

Passenger traffic at the 14 regional airports managed by Fraport Greece rose by 3.2% in April, despite the Middle East crisis and the reduction in flights to and from Israel.

According to Fraport Greece data, a total of 1.8 million passengers were handled last month, approximately 56,000 more compared with the corresponding month in 2025, with the airports of Chania, Santorini and Thessaloniki posting particularly strong performances. Of the total 1.8 million passengers in April, around 640,000 travelled on domestic flights, marking a 4.9% increase, while international passenger traffic reached 1.2 million, up 2.3%.

However, air traffic was significantly affected by the war in the Middle East, due to flight cancellations to and from Israel. Air traffic with Israel resumed around mid-April, led primarily by Israeli carriers EL AL and Israir, and only at the airports of Rhodes and Thessaloniki.

Compared with last year’s figures, traffic to and from Israel recorded a sharp decline of 92.5%, equivalent to 45,000 fewer passengers. The airports most heavily impacted were Rhodes and Thessaloniki, with declines of 25,000 passengers (-91.8%) and 18,000 passengers (-92.8%) respectively, mainly due to reduced services by Middle Eastern carriers.

Chania led growth

The Easter holiday period in early April supported traffic growth, with a significant increase recorded at the beginning of the month compared with last year. However, this momentum weakened toward the end of the month.

International traffic has now commenced across all airports. Among the month’s highlights, Chania Airport posted a strong increase of 32,000 passengers (+26.4% year-on-year versus April 2025), driven by the early launch of routes to Amsterdam and the United Kingdom by the easyJet Group and Jet2.com respectively, as well as the addition of a new Ireland route by the Ryanair Group.

Santorini Airport also recorded positive growth, with passenger traffic rising by 21,000 passengers (+16.4%), showing an increase compared with April 2025, although volumes remain below 2024 levels.

Traffic at Santorini remained primarily domestic, while international passenger activity also increased, supported by flights to France and the Netherlands operated by the Transavia Group.

Thessaloniki Airport maintained strong upward momentum in April, with passenger traffic increasing by 20,000 passengers (+3.1%). Domestic traffic rose by 2.7%, while international passenger activity increased by 3.4%.

Key contributors to Thessaloniki’s growth included markets such as Poland, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom and Turkey. In contrast, significant declines were recorded from Israel, as well as from Romania, Cyprus and Finland.

In April 2026, the average load factor declined compared with April 2025 across most airports, falling to 77.3% from 79.4%.

Since the beginning of the concession period, Fraport Greece airports have handled approximately 256 million passengers.

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