Virus empties Greek skies

Greece reported the worse month for passenger traffic in its aviation history according to the latest data from Athens International Airport.

Specifically, air traffic plunged 61.3 % in March, making the month the worst month in the history of the airport.

The air transport sector has been harshly hit by the coronavirus pandemic, leading airlines to halt the flight schedule and put thousands of workers into unpaid leave.

Passenger traffic shrank to 640,000 in March, almost one million less compared with March 2019, reflecting a rapid deterioration which occurred in the second half of the month. Domestic traffic was down 60 % and international traffic plunged 62 %.

Passenger traffic in the first three months of 2020 totalled 3.5 million, down 20.5 % from 2019, with domestic traffic down 24.4 % and international traffic down 18.6 %. The number of lights fell 33.7 % (30 % domestic and 36 % international).