Greek Airlines

Greek Airlines

There are many airlines operating from and to cities in Greece, especially during high season (May – September). The largest Greek airline is Aegean Airlines S.A., a Star Alliance member since June 2010. It operates scheduled and charter services from Athens and Thessaloniki to other Greek cities and a number of European destinations. It also has codeshare agreements with other airlines, more specifically Brussels Airlines, EgyptAir, Lufthansa, Olympic Air, S7 Airlines, SAS, Singapore Airlines, TAP Portugal, United Airlines and US Airways. Among its international destinations are cities in Israel, Turkey, Georgia, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Charter flights by Aegean Airlines also operate during summer.

Another important Greek airline is Olympic Air, operating initially under the name Olympic Airways since 1957 until the beginning of the 21st century when it ceased operations. It then reopened under the name Olympic Air. In October 2012, Aegean Airlines had struck a deal to acquire Olympic Air, and the buyout was approved by the European Commission in October 2013. Both carriers will continue to operate under separate brands. Olympic Air has codeshare agreements with Aegean Airlines, Bulgaria Air, Delta, Etihad, KLM and Tarom. It operates international flights to cities in Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Turkey.

Numerous airlines of other countries operate to and from airports within Greece. Some of these airlines are Lufthansa, British Airways, Air France, KLM, United Airlines, Delta, Cyprus Airways, Norwegian, SAS, Iberia, Turkish Airlines and Austrian Airlines. Many low cost airlines also operate flights to airports in Greece. Ryanair is an airline flying to Chania, Corfu, Kalamata, Kefalonia, Kos, Patra, Rhodes, Thessaloniki, Volos and Zakynthos. Thomson also operates charter flights during summer, to Greek destinations like Kavala, Thessaloniki, Corfu, Skiathos, Preveza, Kefalonia, Zakynthos, Samos, Mykonos, Santorini, Kos, Chania, Heraklion and Rhodes. Germanwings flies to Kavala, Thessaloniki, Corfu, Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Crete, Kos, and Rhodes.