Fraport Greece: 2025 to Close with Record Passenger Traffic of 37 Million Travelers Across 14 Airports

The year 2025 is expected to close with record passenger traffic for the 14 regional airports managed by Fraport Greece, as highlighted yesterday to members of the press during an informational event in Athens.

The company forecasts that the year will end with 37 million passengers. According to the General Manager of Development, Giorgos Vilos, 35.2 million passengers were already handled in the first ten months of the year—approximately one million more than last year, reflecting a 2.7% increase compared to 2024.

Since 2016—the last year before the airports were concessioned—total passenger traffic has risen by 45%, reflecting not only the dynamism of Greek tourism but also the extensive investments that have transformed the airports' infrastructure.

Fraport Greece CEO Alexander Zinell emphasized that “the steady upward trajectory of the airports demonstrates the strength of Greek tourism and the importance of infrastructure investments.”

According to the company’s management, the growth is almost exclusively driven by international passenger traffic, which increased by 3.5%, while domestic traffic remained flat—mainly due to seismic activity in Santorini.

“Without the Santorini phenomenon, we would have reached 37.5 million passengers. That would have meant an overall increase of 4–4.1% compared to last year,” said Mr. Vilos, noting that 81% of passengers using the 14 regional airports come from abroad.

The top market is the United Kingdom, followed by Germany and Scandinavia, despite pressure on passenger numbers from Sweden. Visitors from the United States are also showing significant growth, now ranking 8th with a 2.7% market share, even though there are no direct flights to the regional airports—their main feeder is Athens International Airport.

“This is not a temporary trend but a market we are building steadily,” stressed Mr. Vilos, pointing out that American visitors to Chania alone increased by 75% this year. Overall, 75.7% of travelers come from Europe. However, he added, the central goal remains extending the tourist season year-round. “We collaborate with 89 airlines across the 14 airports, connecting to 40 countries and 886 destinations. In 2025, we added 48 new routes.” The leading airlines by market share at these airports are Ryanair (17%) and Aegean (16%), followed by EasyJet (9%), TUI (8%), and Jet2 (6%).

According to Fraport Greece data, 12 of the 14 destinations show positive growth compared to the same period last year. The only exceptions are Santorini and Mykonos.

Santorini is expected to close the year with a decline of around 15% due to seismic activity early in the year that scared off many visitors and led to trip cancellations. Mykonos, meanwhile, is recording its third consecutive year of decline, with a total drop of 6.5%. However, as Giorgos Vilos explained, this is mainly a “corrective” trend following a prolonged period of over-development, given that Mykonos had previously experienced galloping growth. In contrast, smaller destinations such as Aktion, Skiathos, and Mytilene are posting strong performances, aligning with the international trend of travelers seeking quieter, less-hyped locations.

New Investments of €200 Million

The company is launching a new €200 million investment cycle aimed at further enhancing capacity and improving services at the airports. To date, over €2 billion has been invested in modernizing the 14 regional airports, of which approximately €500 million covered the initial mandatory investments. The company also spends an additional €50 million annually on maintenance and incremental upgrades. These figures do not include runway projects funded by the Recovery Fund.

Kalamata: The New Major Project

The upgrade of Kalamata Airport “Captain Vassilis Constantakopoulos” is Fraport’s new flagship project. The 40-year concession begins in January and is being implemented in partnership with companies from the Copelouzos and Constantakopoulos groups.

The plan includes a new 9,000 sq.m. terminal (compared to 3,000 sq.m. today) and is expected to be completed ahead of the 2028 target. Immediate interventions will also improve airport operations, while the existing terminal will be repurposed.

The total investment will exceed €75 million. Upon completion, the airport will be able to double its traffic by 2030, reaching nearly 700,000 passengers annually—from around 380,000 today.