Data for the 2026 tourist season at Thessaloniki's "Macedonia" airport point to continued growth in international air travel demand, despite broader uncertainty stemming from the war in the Middle East.
According to the Air Data Tracker of the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (INSETE), scheduled airline seats for the period March to October 2026 reach 2,472,271, compared with 2,248,238 in the same period a year earlier. This represents a 10% increase. The data are based on OAG aviation datasets and refer to scheduled capacity rather than last-minute seat availability.
Monthly figures show varying rates of growth, with March recording the highest year-on-year percentage increase, up 68.6% to 195,899 seats. August remains the peak travel month in absolute terms, with 415,385 scheduled seats, up 12.1% from August 2025. Other months also show increases: April reaches 270,289 seats (+3.4%), May 326,082 (+5.3%), June 362,112 (+10.7%), July 411,049 (+10.9%), September 368,862 (+10.6%), and October 292,718 (+12.9%).
In terms of source markets, Germany accounts for the largest share, with 756,623 scheduled seats, up 6.3%. The United Kingdom follows with 270,263 seats, up 14%. Italy shows a 20% rise (162,117 seats), while Poland posts a 31.2% increase to 123,344 seats. Turkey also records notable growth, with 94,199 seats (+28.3%), and Switzerland rises by 34.3% to 82,764 seats.
By contrast, declines are observed in some markets, with scheduled seats from Israel falling by 10.3% to 105,296, while Cyprus records a 9.1% decrease to 161,399 seats.
Industry representatives underline that uncertainty remains, noting that the key issue for Greek tourism is the duration and extent of the crisis in the Middle East. At the same time, they stress that "the aim is to maintain, in the minds of tourists, Greece as a safe destination", adding that careful management will be critical for the outcome of the 2026 season.
By Lina Tsireka - adapted from Greek by Vassia Barba
