As Greece is among the most popular holiday destinations in the world, many large air companies schedule flights to Greece from various places of the world. Famous European companies and low-cost air lines also fly directly to regional airports in the islands and in mainland cities and areas of Greece: Flights to Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes, Kos, Kalamata, Preveza and others. These flights to Greece expand in summer months, which constitute the high season months for the country. There are also air companies operating domestic flights to Greece, particularly from the airports of Athens and Thessaloniki.
International Flights
The majority of tourists who come to Greece every year arrive by plane. There are many airports in Greece, both in the mainland and in the Greek islands. Most visitors arrive in the International Airport of Athens and then continue to the islands either by plane again or by ferry. The airport of Athens has direct international flights to many European and Asian countries, while via transfer it also receives passengers from all the world. There is also regular connection between the airport of Athens and the Greek islands. The airports in the islands, apart from flights from Athens or Thessaloniki, also receive charter flights from abroad. These charter flights operate only in summer, usually from May to October. Many low-cost air companies also operate in summer from European countries directly to the Greek islands.
Airlines that fly to Greece
Among the largest European companies with flights to Greece are British Airlines, Air Berlin, KML, Air France, Lufthansa and Swiss Air. Emirates also operate daily flights from Dubai to Athens, covering a large number of visitors from Asia or Australia. Some air companies also have direct flights to Thessaloniki, the second largest Greek airport that is located in northern Greece. The two most popular European low-cost airlines, EasyJet and RyanAir, also fly to various airports of Greeve, mostly to regional airports in the Greek islands and the mainland. RyanAir recently opened a new base in Athens and operates flights to/from the Greek capital. Such flights are operated by EasyJet some years now.
Domestic flights
The International Airports of Athens and Thessaloniki are the main plane gateways for domestic flights to the Greek islands. These two airports serve regular flights to the Greek islands all year round, and mostly in summer when the traffic is larger: Santorini island, Mykonos island, Naxos island, Crete, Rhodes, Kos, Skiathos and more. In the near futur, an hydroplane service might see the light for flights between the Greek islands. Not all islands can be reached by plane. In all cases, the most popular way to reach the islands is by ferry.