Aegean Air at all-time high
Aegean Airlines offered the biggest number of seats in a year ever in 2023, also setting a new passenger record, while occupancy also improved from 2022.
Last year, the airline offered 20% more seats, which amounted to 18.5 million, i.e. 800,000 more than in 2019. It carried 15.5 million passengers, a number that is 26% higher than in 2022.
In its international network, Aegean offered 2.2 million more seats, which reached a total of 11.1 million, carrying 9.2 million passengers, or 29% more compared to 2022.
Domestic passenger traffic increased by 22%, reflecting the positive impact of the increased connectivity of the islands through Athens, due to the expansion of the foreign network, but also the dynamic recovery of the economy. Smaller regional destinations, such as Sitia (in Crete), Skyros, Naxos and Limnos had excellent growth potential. Overall, average seat occupancy improved to 83.4% from 79.4% in 2022.
“2023 was a very good year for Aegean and for Greek tourism. We will continue to work consistently to expand the choices of our passengers, to upgrade the quality of the travel experience, but also to facilitate the diffusion of the tourism product, so that the dynamics of the company and the country can be maintained in the new year, despite the challenges,” said Managing Director Dimitris Gerogiannis.
A new historic high was recorded by Aegean passenger traffic at the Athens hub as well, with the airline transporting, on an annual basis, 13 million passengers to and from the airport, whose growth rates it fueled, carrying 27% more travelers.
From the capital’s airport, passenger traffic on the domestic network increased by 22%, to 5.7 million, compared to 2022, while the corresponding size on the international network increased by 32%, to 7.2 million people. Passenger traffic from Thessaloniki’s Makedonia airport showed an increase of 28%, with the number of passengers in the international network increasing by 33% compared to 2022. This performance is the result of the company’s systematic investment in seats offered and in new foreign destinations throughout the year. Last year Aegean added over 30 new international destinations.