SKY express is accelerating its international expansion at Athens with the addition of five new destinations for 2025/2026
Sky Express(GQ) and Athens International Airport(AIA) DREAM teams!!, from left to right (Mr Leonidas Raftopoulos, Head, Airline Development & Marketing at AIA, Mr Filippos Doukas, Network Planning Supervisor at GQ, Mr Vasilis Krasanakis, Network Planning & Pricing Manager at GQ, Mrs Ioanna Papadopoulou, Director, Communications & Marketing at AIA, Mr Ioannis Novas, Senior Developer, Airline Development at AIA and Mr Gerasimos Skaltsas, Chief Commercial Officer at GQ)
Each year, Athens International Airport and Sky Express are co-organizing a magnificent Press and Trade event, aiming to update the public and business partners on the airline achievements and to set the stage for future developments. This year event was held at the iconic Olympic Museum at Athens, having the slogan “Faster, Higher and Stronger” which is directly linked to the modern Olympic Games spirit.
During the event, Sky Express revealed its new destinations in the Athenian sky with a dazzling drone show. The airline is accelerating its international expansion in 2025/2026 with the addition of Berlin, Madrid, Lisbon, Hamburg and Lyon.
- Berling will commence on the 16th of October and will operate 4 times weekly
- Madrid will commence on the 24th of October and will operate 5 times weekly
- Lisbon will commence on the 24th of October and will operate 3 times weekly
- Hamburg will commence on the 24th of October and will operate 3 times weekly
- Lyon will commence on the 15th of December and will operate 2 times weekly
Sky Express CCO, Mr Gerasimos Skaltsas stated that “Our international expansion remains the cornerstone of our strategy” and that “We continue to grow dynamically abroad, strengthening our position across key European markets”. The airline will add 2 new A320neo aircraft this Summer, increasing the total fleet to 29 Airbus and ATR aircraft.
Athens International Airport Director of Communications & Marketing, Mrs Ioanna Papadopoulou, highlighted the airline rising strategic importance at Athens Airport, where Sky Express has grown from a 2.5% market share in 2019 to 12% percent today. “SKY express is now our second-largest airline,” Ioanna said. “Its growth reflects its role in strengthening the airport’s connectivity with key foreign markets.”
The evolution of Sky Express at Athens, since 2019
Sky Express robust growth in passenger traffic, from 1mio PAX pre-pandemic to 3.8mio PAX in 2024 and growing further during the first 5 months of 2025 by 12%.
The airline is the second largest operator at Athens during 2024.
Spectacular buildup of the International network for Sky Express in just 4 years, with 18 International routes in 2024 which are well connected to the strong 27 Domestic network, offering in total 45 routes from Athens.
The new additions in October and December 2025 will further enhance the airline network to 23 International routes and 27 Domestic, reaching a significant milestone of 50 destinations from Athens.
As a result of the International expansion, the share of International traffic for Sky Express at Athens reached 35% of the airline traffic during the first 5 months of the year.
The “Vote of trust” in the Athens market from Sky Express is deeply appreciated! A big thank you to the airline team for the highly efficient collaboration and the friendship! Wishing a great year ahead with safe and full flights!