This resilience is reflected in the growth rates of the top 20 largest markets for the first quarter of the year. Between January and March 2026, total international traffic at Athens Airport increased by 8.5% compared to 2025, exceeding 4.54 million passengers. Overall passenger traffic (domestic and international) reached 5.8 million travelers, marking an 8.1% rise compared to the same period in 2025.

At the level of individual markets, based on data for January–March 2026, Poland (ranked 10th in the top 20) recorded the highest increase compared to Q1 2025. It was followed by Egypt (12th) with +53% and Denmark with +39%. Among major Western European tourism markets, Spain (ranked 7th overall) saw a 23% increase year-on-year, with total passenger traffic just under 250,000.

The top three international markets for Athens’ main airport remain Italy in first place and Germany in second—both with over 450,000 passengers—followed by the United Kingdom in third place with just under 400,000 passengers. Cyprus and Turkey each recorded between 300,000 and 350,000 passengers, completing the top five. They are followed by France, Spain, Switzerland, Israel, and Poland. Notably, traffic from Israel in Q1 2026 stood just under 200,000 travelers.

The new Indian market

There is also notable interest in the first performance data from the brand-new Indian market for Athens International Airport. IndiGo launched its first direct flights on January 23, 2026, operating routes Athens–Delhi and Athens–Mumbai. Despite a challenging first quarter—particularly due to the geopolitical crisis in the Middle East from late February—the airline recorded nearly 17,000 passengers on these direct connections. It even had to suspend operations for a few days amid thousands of global flight cancellations during the early phase of the conflict.

Among long-haul but smaller markets (outside the top 20), China—starting from a low base—recorded an impressive 42% increase in Q1 2026, after already achieving 31% growth over the full previous year compared to 2024. During the peak of the 2026 summer season, Athens is expected to be connected to China via direct flights from three airlines: Air China (Beijing), Juneyao Air (Shanghai), and Sichuan Airlines (Chengdu).

Among smaller European markets, Sweden recorded a 59% increase compared to Q1 2025, while Portugal saw a rise of 36%.