In 2024, “Eleftherios Venizelos” entered the top ten airports in terms of passenger traffic, thanks to significant annual passenger growth (+19.6%), pushing Paris Orly airport out of the top ten.

According to Eurostat data, in 2024, the total number of passengers travelling by air in the EU reached 1.1 billion 2024, an increase of 8.3% compared to 2023 (973 million). The data show that in 2024, all EU countries recorded an increase in the number of air passengers compared to 2023. Hungary (+19.2%), the Czech Republic (+18.9%), and Estonia (+17.8%) saw the largest increases, while the lowest changes were in Sweden (+1.3%), Bulgaria (+3.8%), and France and Ireland (both +4.6%).

Freight and mail air transport – Greece in the top three for growth

Total freight and mail carried in the EU also increased by 8.7% in 2024 compared to 2023. The increase was mainly due to transport to and from third countries (+10.8%), while intra-EU transport remained almost stable (+0.1%) and domestic transport fell by 4.3%.

At the national level, the largest increases were recorded in Hungary (+65.9%), the Czech Republic (+43.7%), and Greece (+36.7%), while only Poland (-3.6%) and Latvia (-2.7%) recorded decreases.