Athens and Chengdu are now connected, 4 times weekly with Sichuan Airlines

Last week, on the 30th of June, Athens International Airport and Sichuan Airlines celebrated the inauguration of the first flight. With the launch of the new route, Athens International Airport is now connected to four destinations in Asia, three of which are in China. Specifically, the Chengdu service complements four weekly flights of Air China to Beijing and four weekly flights of Juneyao Air to Shanghai. In addition, Scoot continues to operate the popular Singapore–Athens route, further expanding the airport’s Asian network.

This new route is operated 4 times weekly from Chengdu to Athens, via Istanbul, further enhancing connectivity with China and the greater Asian region from Athens. Flights are operating every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Tourism Mrs Olga Kefalogianni, H.E. the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China Mr Fang Qiu, Athens International Airport Chairperson of the BoD Mr Michail Kefalogiannis, Athens International Airport Managing Direct (CEO) Dr Ioannis Paraschis, Sichuan Airlines General Manager in Greece Mr Heng Liu, Athens International Airport Director of Communication and Marketing Mrs Ioanna Papadopoulou and Tourism industry stakeholders.

Athens International Airport, Director of Communication and Marketing Mrs Ioanna Papadopoulou noted the growing momentum in air connectivity with China. “This is a very exciting day at Athens International Airport,” she said. “In 2019, only one airline connected Greece to China with three weekly flights to a single destination. In 2025, we now have three Chinese carriers, three destinations, and 12 weekly frequencies”.

During the first half of 2025 (Jan to Jun), direct passenger traffic between Athens and China grew by 132% when compared to the same period in 2019. The addition of the Chengdu route, plus the frequency increases from Air China and Juneyao Airlines are pushing traffic volumes even higher, with a new weekly record achieved last week surpassing 4,500 weekly passengers !!

Wishing Sichuan Airlines always safe and full flights, we remain committed to continuing to support Sichuan Airlines at Athens, as it keeps growing its Chengdu operations and beyond !!