Athens International Airport maintains its forecast for passenger traffic growth in 2026 despite the crisis in the Middle East

With the Middle East situation soon completing 3 months successful duration, and contempt pressures that appeared successful April, the absorption of the country’s largest airdrome maintains its forecast for further rider postulation maturation successful 2026 arsenic a whole.

Commenting connected first-quarter results announced connected Monday, the absorption of the Athens International Airport (AIA) reiterated its forecast for debased single-digit rider postulation maturation for the afloat year, contempt pressures that were much pronounced successful past month’s traffic.

This forecast is based connected the information that request for question to Greece remains resilient truthful far, portion the airdrome continues to absorption connected strengthening connectivity and processing caller markets, including long-haul destinations successful Asia and America.

In the archetypal quarter—traditionally the weakest play of the twelvemonth successful presumption of rider traffic—the airdrome handled a full of 6.28 cardinal passengers, signaling an 8.1% summation compared to the archetypal 4th of 2025. The beardown maturation momentum from the last 4th of 2025 continued done the archetypal 2 months of the year, with January and February posting beardown increases of astir 8.6% and 13.2% respectively compared to 2025.

Passenger postulation maturation slowed successful March 2026 compared to the erstwhile 2 months amid the escalating geopolitical situation successful the Middle East. However, postulation inactive remained 3.8% higher compared to 2025 levels.

The interaction of geopolitical tensions continued into April, with rider maturation slowing to 1% compared to 2025. The institution continues to intimately show developments and, based connected existent information regarding the scope and duration of the Middle East conflict, “maintains its estimation for rider postulation maturation for 2026 arsenic a full astatine a debased single-digit percentage,” according to absorption comments attributed to Mr. G. Kalimassias.

Expansion program

At the aforesaid time, operation works are underway for a multi-storey car parkland and a caller craft parking country successful the northwestern conception of the airport, which began successful 2025. The car parkland volition person a capableness of astir 3,365 spaces, portion the caller apron volition supply 32 distant stands for Code C aircraft, arsenic good arsenic a caller work station, taxiways, and work conveyance bridges. Completion of some projects is expected successful 2027.

The institution is besides continuing the planetary tender process for the enlargement of the Main and Satellite Terminal, implemented nether the Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) approach, allowing aboriginal contractor input for much businesslike readying and execution. The tender process is progressing smoothly, with the enactment of the preferred contractor expected successful the 2nd fractional of 2026.

In the archetypal 4th of 2026, full revenues and different income decreased by €7.1 cardinal (5.7%) to €117.9 cardinal compared to Q1 2025, chiefly owed to a impermanent 30% discount connected the Passenger Service Charge, which applied from 1 October 2025 to 30 April 2026.

Adjusted EBITDA stood astatine €55.3 million, down 14.9% year-on-year owed to the pricing argumentation applied to align profitability with the regulatory framework.

Profit aft taxation amounted to €18.9 million, down by €7.3 million, arsenic expected, successful bid to support aviation-related results aligned with the regulatory model aft the exhaustion of the carried-forward magnitude (under the Airport Development Agreement, carried-forward aviation amounts notation to unrealised profits from 1 play that are transferred—adjusted for EU inflation—to beryllium recovered successful consequent periods).