Athens International Airport: Positive development of passenger traffic in Q12010

First quarter traffic was positive for Athens International Airport, with 3.17 million passengers and 44.6 thousand flights, an increase of 10.4% and 5.2%, respectively. This development placed the airport in the 1st position amongst major European airports in terms of aircraft movements (European average at -2.6%) and in the 2nd position as regards passenger traffic (European average at +3%)*.

Analytically, both the domestic (+13%) and international (+9%) markets enjoyed dynamic growth in the 1st quarter, with the announcement of the merger between Aegean Airlines and Olympic Air so far not affecting airport traffic significantly.

Domestic passengers posted the highest increase in January (+18.8%), while international passengers traffic reached its peak in March (+12.3%). The total 5.2% increase in aircraft movements was mainly driven by domestic flights (+10.1%), while the international sector remained at the previous year's level (+0.6%).

Most geographical regions marked a significant growth in the 1st quarter of the year: M. East (+19%) posted the biggest rise, followed by Western Europe (+10.3%), Eastern Europe (+9.6%), and Asia (+6.5%).