Greece is rapidly transforming its air connectivity as it moves to capitalize on record-breaking tourism demand from North America, Europe and key emerging markets. A new wave of routes from the United States, Canada, Turkey, Morocco, Czechia, Spain and beyond is giving travelers more nonstop options than ever before, while strengthening Athens and Greek island airports as strategic hubs for the wider Mediterranean.

Record US Capacity Signals Greece’s Growing Transatlantic Power

The United States has emerged as one of Greece’s star long haul markets, and airlines are racing to keep up. Industry data for 2025 show roughly 500 more flights planned between the US and Greece than in 2024, bringing the total to at least 2,805 services in a single year. The vast majority of these flights operate between May and September, when at least 2,023 services are scheduled, an increase of more than 23 percent over the previous summer season.

Major US carriers including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, joined by Emirates and Norse Atlantic Airways, now operate a growing web of nonstop services from key American gateways to Athens. Seasonal and year round flights from cities such as New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington, Atlanta and Philadelphia have turned the Greek capital into one of the fastest-rising European destinations in North American schedules.

For 2025, the expansion becomes truly nationwide. Delta is opening a daily Athens service from Boston and boosting capacity from Atlanta, while American is adding a new daily nonstop from Charlotte on top of its existing flights from hubs like Chicago and Philadelphia. United is growing its presence with added frequencies from Washington Dulles and Chicago, as well as its established Newark connection, helping funnel travelers from across the US interior to Greece with a single connection.

The surge continues into 2026. United Airlines and American Airlines have already confirmed new nonstop routes to Athens for the 2026 summer season, including a daily Dallas to Athens link from American and a new three times weekly Athens service from Newark by United. These additions will give travelers even more choices as Greece cements its status as a core European destination in transatlantic plans.

West Coast Breakthrough: Direct Connectivity From Los Angeles

One of the most symbolic milestones in Greece’s aviation expansion is the launch of a nonstop link between Athens and the US West Coast. From June 3, 2025, Norse Atlantic Airways operates a new Athens to Los Angeles route, the first direct service connecting Greece with the Pacific-facing side of the United States.

The LAX route, flown with Boeing 787 Dreamliners several times per week, radically cuts travel time between California and Greece and eliminates the need for connections in northern Europe or the US East Coast. For Greek Americans and leisure travelers across California and the wider western states, this is a significant convenience upgrade that industry analysts expect to stimulate additional demand.

The move also elevates Athens as a long haul hub. With growing feed from domestic and regional services operated by Greek carriers, the LAX flight is positioned to connect not only tourists heading to Athens itself but also passengers bound for islands such as Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes and Crete. As Norse Atlantic evaluates performance on the Los Angeles route, network planners will be watching closely to see whether further West Coast or secondary US city connections might be viable.

For Greek tourism authorities, the West Coast breakthrough is equally strategic. It opens the door to new marketing efforts in California and neighboring states, where interest in Mediterranean destinations has been climbing but where Greece historically lacked direct air connections. With the strong US dollar encouraging outbound travel, this timing is seen as particularly advantageous.

The North American expansion is not limited to US airlines. Canadian carriers are also increasing their focus on the Mediterranean, including Greece and competitive sun destinations such as Spain and Italy. Air Canada’s latest long haul plans for 2026 include additional Mediterranean routes from Montreal and Toronto, including services to Palma de Mallorca and reinforced links to central and eastern Europe, creating more opportunities for Canadians to connect into Greek itineraries through European hubs.

At the same time, Greek and European airlines are reinforcing Athens as a gateway for Canadian and European passengers alike. Aegean Airlines, Greece’s flag carrier, has been steadily expanding its European network with new destinations and increased frequencies to important feeder markets like Berlin, Barcelona, Madrid and Lisbon. These cities serve as key waypoints for travelers coming from Canada and other long haul markets, given the abundance of transatlantic services into western Europe.

Low cost and hybrid European carriers are playing a crucial role as well. Greek airline SKY express, for instance, has rolled out and expanded routes from Athens to major European capitals including Amsterdam, Lisbon, Warsaw, Madrid, Milan, Rome and London, alongside Istanbul in Turkey. The carrier’s network growth through 2024 and 2025 is creating new one stop possibilities for passengers flying from North America into Europe who want a seamless connection onward to Greece without relying solely on traditional alliance hubs.

For Canadian travelers, this web of options means more flexible itineraries. A trip that once required limited seasonal charter services or multiple awkward connections can now be arranged via a growing set of scheduled flights through hubs in Spain, Italy, the Netherlands or the UK, all feeding into the expanding Greek network.

New Bridges to Turkey, Morocco, Spain and Czechia

Beyond the transatlantic boom, Greece is simultaneously stitching tighter links across the wider Mediterranean and central Europe. Airlines have launched or announced an array of new routes connecting Athens and regional Greek airports with Turkey, Morocco, Spain and Czechia, reflecting a strategic push to position Greece as an accessible crossroads between continents.

Turkey is a particularly important partner market. Aegean Airlines has already increased frequencies between Athens and Istanbul and Izmir and is in the process of introducing new seasonal routes linking Istanbul to Heraklion, Mykonos, Rhodes and Santorini from 2025. SKY express has also entered the Turkey market with flights from Athens to Istanbul, adding competition and capacity on this key corridor between two of the eastern Mediterranean’s tourism powerhouses.

On the western flank, Greek carriers are strengthening connections with Spain and other Iberian destinations. Aegean has recorded growth on routes to Barcelona, Madrid and Lisbon, while SKY express’s Madrid and Lisbon services provide additional options. These links are crucial because they allow passengers from Spain and Portugal, as well as Latin American travelers passing through Iberian hubs, to access Greece with a single European connection.

Central Europe is also in focus. New and expanded routes to cities such as Prague and other Czech destinations, complemented by the wider transatlantic growth into central Europe by American and Canadian carriers, are likely to feed more visitors from Czechia and neighboring markets into Greek resorts. For Greek tourism stakeholders, diversifying inbound markets beyond the traditional UK and German base is a key part of long term resilience.

Morocco and North Africa Enter the Greek Aviation Conversation

As Mediterranean tourism patterns evolve, Greece is not only competing with but also increasingly connecting to North African destinations, including Morocco. While the most high profile developments have centered on European and North American growth, planners are paying closer attention to how emerging routes between Greece and North Africa could reshape regional travel choices.

Morocco has seen its own wave of airline expansion, particularly from European low cost carriers linking cities such as Marrakech, Casablanca and Agadir with western and central Europe. As these networks deepen, the opportunity for connecting traffic between Greece and Morocco via shared European hubs rises, and industry observers expect direct Greece to Morocco links to follow or expand in future seasons as demand justifies.

For travelers, the prospect of pairing Greece with Morocco in a single trip is increasingly realistic. A growing number of multi country itineraries now combine Mediterranean beach stays with cultural city breaks and desert excursions, and improved air connectivity is critical to making these combinations logistically easy. Greek tourism officials have signaled interest in tapping into this kind of twin center travel, which would further integrate Greece into broader regional circuits spanning southern Europe and North Africa.

Even in the absence of large scale direct services today, the constant addition of new flights to Spain, France and Italy from both Greece and Morocco effectively shortens the distance between the two countries. As capacity grows on these shared feeder routes, airlines will have more incentive to test nonstop links and capture demand that currently flows through third countries.

Greek Carriers Scale Up Networks to Support Island Tourism

While international airlines are crucial in bringing visitors into Greece, the country’s own carriers are undertaking a parallel expansion to distribute this influx across the mainland and islands. Aegean Airlines has announced multiple new domestic and short haul international routes for 2025, including fresh services from Heraklion to Rhodes, Naxos, Corfu and Kos, as well as new connections from Rhodes to Chania and Santorini and from Thessaloniki to Syros.

These additions, timed to coincide with the summer season, are designed to handle both point to point demand from European markets and connecting traffic from long haul flights into Athens and other gateways. As North American and European capacity grows, the ability to move passengers quickly and efficiently onward to island destinations becomes a strategic necessity, reducing pressure on Athens and spreading tourism benefits more evenly across the country.

Alongside Aegean, SKY express has steadily grown its domestic network and tied it into its expanding European schedule. By servicing both popular islands and secondary cities, the airline gives travelers more flexibility to arrive on one carrier and depart on another, or to open jaw their itineraries across different regions of Greece. This network density is increasingly important as visitor numbers climb and the traditional Athens to island chokepoints risk congestion during peak months.

For local economies in smaller islands and regional cities, the new routes are more than a convenience. They represent a lifeline for extending the tourist season, attracting conferences and events, and supporting investments in hotels and infrastructure. Greeks working in hospitality and aviation are already reporting stronger forward bookings for 2025 based on the expanded air options now in global distribution systems.

Tourism Strategy: Targeting High Value Long Haul Markets

Behind the surge in routes lies a deliberate strategy from Greek tourism authorities and industry groups to cultivate high spending long haul markets. Recent studies from the country’s tourism research bodies highlight the United States and Australia as particularly promising sources of visitors over the next twelve months, with Americans ranking Greece among their top European choices.

Revenues from US travelers have grown sharply in recent years, with 2024 and 2025 figures pointing to double digit increases in both arrivals and spending compared to pre pandemic levels. A favorable exchange rate, strong consumer appetite for international travel and the growing menu of nonstop and easy one stop flights are all contributing to this trend.

At the same time, Greece faces intense competition from Mediterranean peers including Italy, Spain, France, Portugal, Croatia and Turkey. Expanding air connectivity is viewed as one of the most powerful tools to defend and grow market share. By ensuring that key American and Canadian gateways have direct or simple connections to Athens and the islands, Greece aims to stay top of mind for travelers who might otherwise opt for rival coastal destinations.

Market diversification is also a priority. A balanced portfolio of visitors from North America, Europe, Australia and select Asian markets can help buffer Greece against economic or geopolitical shocks in any one region. The rapid growth in routes to and from Turkey, Spain, Czechia and other European countries is therefore not only about point to point tourism, but also about building durable travel corridors that can feed long haul traffic in flexible ways.

What Travelers Can Expect in the 2025 and 2026 Seasons

For travelers planning trips in 2025 and 2026, the message from Greece’s aviation sector is clear: there will be more flights, from more cities, with more routing options than ever before. From the United States alone, travelers can now choose among multiple daily services from the East Coast, growing connectivity from the Midwest and South, and, for the first time, a nonstop link from Los Angeles on the West Coast.

Canadian passengers, too, benefit from the cascading effect of expanded Mediterranean and central European schedules, particularly out of Montreal and Toronto, which increasingly tie into the Greek network via Spain, Italy and Portugal. Within Europe, new and beefed up routes to and from Turkey, Spain, Czechia and other markets reinforce Greece’s place at the center of regional travel flows.

Inside the country, a denser web of domestic flights is making it easier to reach both marquee islands and less visited destinations without time consuming detours. More frequent services and new city pairs from carriers like Aegean and SKY express are shortening travel times and encouraging visitors to explore beyond the classic Athens and Cyclades circuit.

With this massive expansion of its air travel network, Greece is positioning itself not only as a perennial summer favorite, but as a year round Mediterranean hub linking North America, Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. As airlines refine their schedules and more routes come online, travelers will have an increasingly rich set of options to design Greek journeys that fit their preferences, budgets and sense of adventure.