For the first time since the pandemic period – specifically since March 2021 – this April recorded a decline in international air arrivals, reflecting the impact of the geopolitical crisis in the Middle East and the disruption it has caused to air travel and transport.

The drop in April also confirms the volatility that hoteliers have been seeing in bookings throughout this period, with particular emphasis this year on the so-called “last-minute” market, as many travellers are expected to make their holiday decisions at the very last moment.

According to data from airports across Greece processed by the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (INSETE), April ended with a decline in international air arrivals of 1.9%, with a total of 1.5 million international arrivals – 30,000 fewer than in the same month of 2025.

At four-month level, however, and given the strong performance recorded at the start of the year – even though this is still considered the low season for Greek tourism – the January-April 2026 period saw 3.5 million international air arrivals, an increase of 214,000, or 6.6%, compared with the corresponding period in 2025.

For April, when airlines’ summer schedules had already begun, especially for destinations such as Crete and Rhodes, the geopolitical crisis in the Middle East is the main reason behind the first decline in international air arrivals in several years. Over the past more than four years, since March 2021 – the last month to record a decline because of Covid-19 – the only drop recorded was in December 2024, but that was marginal, at just -0.4%.

At Athens International Airport, where total arrivals exceeded 631,500, April recorded a decline of 4.8%. In Thessaloniki, the drop was smaller, below 1%, at 0.7%, with a total of 222,200 arrivals last month. A sharper decline was recorded in Rhodes, where arrivals fell by 8.3% to 158,300.

The exceptions were Heraklion and Chania in Crete, which posted increases of 3% and 21% respectively in April, with nearly 259,000 arrivals in Heraklion and 88,600 in Chania. The figures underline the resilience of the destination and the strength of the Crete brand amid geopolitical instability.

Four-month data

As noted, the January-April 2026 period as a whole posted an increase. Athens International Airport recorded 2 million international arrivals, up 7.1%. It was followed by Thessaloniki airport, with 651,000 arrivals, an increase of 3.7%.

Heraklion recorded 304,000 international arrivals, up 13.5%, while Chania reached 102,000 arrivals, with an impressive increase of 27.9%.

Rhodes recorded 179,000 international arrivals, down 3.5%, while Kos, with 24,000 arrivals over the four-month period, posted a decline of 24.4%. In Corfu, international arrivals reached 95,000, up 15.4%, while Zakynthos recorded 17,000 arrivals, marking a marginal decline of 1.1%.

Mykonos started the season with a drop, recording just 8,000 international arrivals, down 21.7%. By contrast, Santorini recorded 26,000 arrivals, up 10.2%, following a poor year in 2025 due to seismic activity at the start of the season.

In the fast-rising destination of Kalamata, whose airport is heading toward concession within June, 12,000 arrivals were recorded in the first four months of the year, up 24%.

Source: Newmoney