The first week of 2026 is running with intense contrast and harsh trials for the tourism market, as just when a dynamic year was being promised with Greece ready to boost passenger traffic in aviation, the Athens FIR case (which remains unresolved) is overturning the “forecasts”. This unprecedented incident occurred precisely at the timing when the market was preparing to step forward in competition with a multitude of new routes, expansion into major markets, and increased demand.
Now, instead of the reputation of development plans, there is sudden uncertainty about the smooth operation of Greek airspace, casting shadows and concerns among tour operators.
Aviation 2026: Shadows after Athens FIR blackout in a year that started with high expectations – The plans of airlines and tour operators
Jet2 – the largest tour operator to Greece and the second largest airline in the British market after Ryanair – was planning to expand its operations in 2026, incorporating Samos into its network, and significantly broadening British travelers’ access to Greece, with frequent connections to Corfu, Heraklion, Kalamata, Kefalonia, Kos, Halkidiki, Preveza, Rhodes, Skiathos, and Zakynthos.
At the same time, EasyJet’s plans included playing a catalytic role in the Greek market in 2026, as according to initial estimates, Greece was already the top destination for EasyJet Holidays’ new Luxury Collection, with more than twenty available hotels and new routes from London to Thessaloniki and from Bristol and Edinburgh to Athens. This assessment doesn’t come by chance, as in 2025 the British carrier recorded a significant 14.3% increase in seats (3.1 million seats) from the United Kingdom to Greece.
Similarly, WizzAir’s agenda includes new flights for summer from Luton airport to Zakynthos, Mykonos, Rhodes, and Chania, while Finnair is “returning” with new connections to Greece for summer from Helsinki to Thessaloniki and Kos.
From spring, SkyUp Airlines aircraft plan to fly from Athens, Heraklion, and Thessaloniki airports to Chisinau, and Eurowings aircraft are expected to operate a Düsseldorf-Karpathos route from mid-May.
As for airBaltic, it is studying the direct Tallinn-Athens flight for late April while increasing frequencies from Riga/Tallinn to Heraklion, while American Airlines had also “voted” for Greece in 2026, with flights from Dallas to Athens.
Among Greek carriers, SKY express aircraft are ready for the new direct Athens-Lyon connection as well as the new Heraklion-Tirana route, while AEGEAN aircraft are preparing to fly to India.
The first direct flights to and from Athens have been scheduled from early January 2026 for IndiGo, while AEGEAN, which is already running demo flights to India, starts in spring (March) with five weekly flights to New Delhi and three weekly flights to Mumbai.
Temporary warning bell for strengthening infrastructure, security, and crisis management in Greek airspace
Right at the timing of preparation for an “explosion” of new flights and demand, the delay in finding and communicating the basic cause that triggered the Athens FIR blackout creates questions. Not only about whether the infrastructure at Greek airports and systems can respond to potentially similar incidents in the future, but also about the reliability of the airspace and the full range of consequences.
Airlines, airports, and authorities are called to adapt immediately, while any delay or disruption can have chain effects on tourism.
