AEGEAN’s international passenger traffic increased by 15% during April and May 2017, if compared to the same period in 2016. Significant momentum was achieved with the commencement of the summer season and the transportation of 1.2 million passengers. The Athens base—with the contribution and maturity of destinations launched in 2015 and 2016, but also with new destinations – launched in 2017—recorded the largest increase, with international passengers increasing by 19%.

Overall passenger traffic in the domestic and international network amounted to 2.1 million passengers, recording an 8% increase if compared to 2016. Even in the domestic network, the company maintained its total number of passengers stable, despite the reduction in Public Service Obligation Routes operated by Olympic Air, and the entry of new competitor airlines to the market.

Effective capacity management, attractive offers for the pre-purchase of tickets, the strengthening and maturing of international destinations, as well the increased demand for travel to Greece have contributed to higher growth rates and improved load factors. It is important to note that throughout the entire network, including domestic flights, load factors improved significantly, by 8 percentage points to 79% in 2017, from 71% during the same period in 2016.

Mr. Dimitrios Gerogiannis, Managing Director of AEGEAN, stated:

“The significant investment in the Athens network, which we have been implementing in recent years, in combination with the maturity of destinations and the strong demand for Greece this year, provided us with a very good start for this year’s summer season. AEGEAN, operating in 145 destinations in 40 countries, increasing accessibility to Greece and continuing to systematically promote its local products, contributes, for the fourth consecutive year, to a steady increase in traffic to the country, supporting tourism and its diffusion into small, new domestic destinations.”