Tourism test begins today with 104 flights

Greek regional airports set to receive the lowest volume in decades as pandemic takes toll

A total of 104 flights from abroad are scheduled to land at the country’s regional airports today as borders reopen to foreign visitors from specific countries. This figure is down from 150 that had been expected to arrive up until late yesterday.

Overall, it will be the lowest volume of flights in decades at the country’s regional airports of Thessaloniki, Hania, Mykonos, Rhodes, Kos, Santorini, Corfu, Aktio, Skiathos, Kavala, Cephalonia, Zakynthos, Mytilene and Samos.

The total number of arrivals in the whole of July last year at these 14 regional airports was 20,777 or approximately 670 on a daily basis.

In addition to limited arrivals, airport operators and tourism operators are concerned about flight cancellations, which can take place up to 24 hours before takeoff according to the cancellation regulation of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

With the exception of Sweden and the United Kingdom, two countries from which flights will not be allowed until July 15, there are no restrictions on arrivals from other European countries.

In addition, following European recommendations, Greece is opening its borders to travellers from Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, Montenegro, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay, Morocco and the Vatican.

It will be possible for holidaymakers from China to come to the European Union on the condition of reciprocity – i.e. if European travelers will be able to visit Beijing.

A prerequisite for entry into the country is the mandatory completion, 48 hours before departure time, of a special form on the travel.gov.gr platform with details including the traveler’s country of origin, stays in other countries and their accommodation address in Greece. The indicative list of airlines landing as of today includes, among others, Lufthansa flying from Munich to Rhodes and Corfu and Hungary’s Wizz Air operating flights to Thessaloniki, Iraklio, Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes and Zakynthos. Moreover yesterday, in an online event, Alitalia announced that it is reconnecting Athens with Rome, with a daily route.

“Greece is taking the next step toward restoring travel flows, always with the aim of protecting the health of workers in the tourism industry, residents of tourist destinations and its visitors,” said government spokesman Stelios Petsas.