Greece Welcomes First US Seasonal Flight for 2022
Photo source: ANA-MPA/Alexandros Beltes
Greece welcomed the first direct flight from the United States on Monday, when a Delta flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport touched down at Athens International Airport (AIA), officially kick-starting direct seasonal flights from eight American airports for the season.
After lifting mandatory Covid-19 testing requirements for fully vaccinated inbound travelers from the US, Greece is expecting nine daily flights from the US during peak season.
Delta will run flights from New York City, Boston and Atlanta; United Airlines starts its flights to Greece on April 1 operating from Newark and Washington Dulles airports; and American Airlines makes its first flight to Greece for the season on April 7 flying out of New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia airports.
Photo source: US Embassy Athens
During a special ceremony at AIA on Monday, Greek Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias together with US Ambassador to Greece, Geoffrey Pyatt, expressed their satisfaction with Delta’s arrival, adding that it demonstrated “a vote of confidence in Greece and in Greek tourism”.
“I’m really excited that we have the first of our direct American flights. The earliest it’s ever been,” said Pyatt.
US Ambassador to Athens Geoffrey Pyatt with Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias. Photo source: ANA-MPA/Alexandros Beltes
“This is just the beginning. We will have a record number of direct flights from the United States this year… and I am very, very optimistic that we’re going to see a record number of American tourists coming to enjoy everything that Greece has to offer over the next eight or nine months or so,” he added.
Photo source: ANA-MPA/Alexandros Beltes
Greece is counting on winning back American tourists after nearly two years of Covid-19. Indicatively, according to the Bank of Greece, the number of travelers from the US to Greece during January-November 2021 rose by 266 percent year-on-year with spending up by 603.4 percent to 598 million euros. In pre-pandemic 2019, Greece saw over 1.1 million arrivals from the US.
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