Five Greek destinations ended September with double-digit growth in international air arrivals, posting results well above the national average and maintaining their momentum after the peak of the summer tourist season.
Samos, Kalamata, Skiathos, Kefalonia and Karpathos stood out in the first month of autumn, with increases ranging from 11.1% to 15.1%. By comparison, international air arrivals at the country’s main airports rose by 3.3%, according to data from the Institute of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (INSETE).
At the same time, Athens returned to growth after four consecutive months of decline, while Mykonos and Santorini, the country’s two premium island destinations, followed different trajectories: the former recorded a marginal increase, while the latter saw a decline.
In total, 3.99 million international air arrivals were recorded in September, around 128,000 more than in the same month of 2025. For the first nine months of the year, arrivals reached 24.59 million, up 3.4%, with the increase amounting to nearly 805,000 arrivals.
The five destinations with the biggest percentage gains
Samos topped the ranking, with international air arrivals rising by 15.1% in September to nearly 30,000. The positive trend was also evident over the first nine months, when arrivals reached nearly 151,000, an increase of 18.1%.
Kalamata followed close behind, with an increase of 15% and around 34,500 international arrivals. The rise over the first nine months was even stronger, at 19.6%, with the airport serving the Messinian capital welcoming 180,000 passengers on international flights.
Skiathos also maintained its summer momentum, with international arrivals up 14.6% in September to 52,500. From January to September, the increase stood at 13.2%, with arrivals reaching 318,000.
In Kefalonia, international arrivals rose by 13% in the first month of autumn to 70,000, adding to the overall growth for the first nine months, when arrivals totalled 404,000, up 10.6%.
Karpathos completed the top five, with an 11.1% increase and 19,000 international arrivals in September. For the first nine months, arrivals reached nearly 99,000, up 10.2%.
In total, the five airports welcomed around 25,000 more passengers on international flights in September than a year earlier.
Athens returns to growth
The country’s largest airport returned to growth after four consecutive months of negative results.
International arrivals by non-residents at Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” totalled nearly 964,000, a marginal increase of 0.6%. Despite returning to growth, Athens continued to record a decline over the first nine months, with international arrivals by non-residents totalling 6.87 million, down 1.2% from the same period in 2025.
Different trajectories
Several of the country’s major tourist destinations also recorded growth in September, albeit at lower rates than the five that stood out.
International arrivals in Chania rose by 7.3%, while Heraklion recorded an increase of 4.1%. Together, Crete’s two airports welcomed more than 936,000 passengers on international flights in September, up 5% year on year.
Arrivals in Rhodes increased by 5.1%, while growth in Kos was limited to 0.7%, with 235,000 arrivals. Corfu recorded an increase of 4.7%, while arrivals at Aktion airport rose by 7.7%.
The picture was different in the Cyclades, where Mykonos recorded a marginal 1.4% year-on-year increase in international arrivals. In Santorini, by contrast, arrivals fell by 3.3% to 97,800, from 101,000 a year earlier. September’s decline added to negative results in May, July and August, leaving arrivals for the first nine months down a marginal 0.3%.
Declines were also recorded in Zakynthos, down 1.5%; Kavala, down 6.2%; and Mytilene, where international arrivals fell by 10.1%.
The picture by geographical region
By geographical region, the Peloponnese recorded the largest percentage increase in September, with international arrivals at Kalamata and Araxos airports rising by 13%. Crete followed with growth of 5%, while arrivals in the Ionian Islands increased by 4.1% and those in the Dodecanese by 3.8%.
By contrast, the Cyclades were the only one of these geographical regions to record a decline, with international arrivals in Mykonos and Santorini falling by a combined 1.2%.
Contrasting trends
There were also differences between domestic and international air arrivals. Over the first nine months, domestic arrivals rose by 4.6% to 8 million, compared with a 3.4% increase in international arrivals, which reached 24.6 million. Santorini is a case in point: international arrivals edged down by 0.3%, while domestic arrivals rose by 8.9%.
The picture was different in Mykonos, where international arrivals increased by 8%, compared with a rise of just 0.7% in domestic arrivals. An even wider gap was recorded in Kavala, where international arrivals fell by 4.4%, while domestic arrivals rose by 30.7%.