The escalation of tensions in the Middle East has begun to create significant turbulence in the European aviation market, with Greece not being unaffected, as daily departures to and from the Middle East are plummeting, while the decline in flights recorded by Athens International Airport is even more significant.
As revealed by the European air traffic management organization Eurocontrol, traffic between Europe and the Middle East has decreased significantly since the start of the war on February 28, with the lowest point being recorded on Sunday, March 1, when only 373 flights were made, a decrease of 80% compared to the usual daily number of about 2,000 flights.
However, since Thursday, 5 March, traffic to the Middle East has stabilized at around 800 flights per day (in both directions), a number that represents a loss of around 1,200 flights per day and a 59% drop, compared to the period before the crisis.
In Greece, there was a 38% drop in daily departures to and from the Middle East, which in absolute numbers means that there were only 16 daily departures on average from 11 to 24 March, compared to 26 daily departures from 1 January to 27 February.
The losses recorded by the Athens Eleftherios Venizelos Airport are even greater, reaching 41%, which means that an average of 14 departures take place per day, compared to 23 before the war.
However, both Greece and AIA remain among the ten countries and airports with the highest connectivity to the Middle East. The image presented is similar to the European air transport market, which is being attacked by the closure of airspace, flight cancellations and diversions.
Greece is among the top 10 European countries with the largest passenger flows to and from the Middle East, ranking seventh, while the country with the largest flows by far is Turkey, followed by the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, and Spain, with Cyprus, Switzerland, and Poland completing the top 10. As for the reduction in flights to the area between these ten countries, it ranges from -42% to -59%, with Poland recording the largest reduction (87%) and Germany at the other end, recording the smallest (42%).
Similarly, Eleftherios Venizelos remains among the ten European airports with the most connectivity to the Middle East, specifically in fifth place, behind major air hubs such as Istanbul Airport, Heathrow in London, Sabiha Gokcen in Istanbul, and Charles de Gaulle in Paris. The next five airports are Frankfurt, Rome (Fiumicino), Milan (Malpensa), Amsterdam, and Larnaca.
Istanbul Airport, the busiest airport in Europe, is also the one with the most flights to the Middle East, with almost 100 flights a day, followed by London Heathrow (50 flights a day) and Sabiha Gokcen (43 flights a day).
The decrease in traffic from these top 10 airports to the Middle East ranges from 35% for Larnaca to 67% for Malpensa.
Increased flights in Europe
It is impressive that while flights to the Middle East have been “collapsing” since the beginning of the crisis, air traffic within Europe has increased by 13%. The increase in the Asia/Pacific region is also 13%, mainly due to the increased number of cargo flights, while the increase in the North Atlantic region (USA and Canada) is even higher at 18%.
The seven-day period from 24 to 30 March 2026, across all routes, compared to the same period in 2025, with the exception of the Middle East (-51%), the increase ranged from 4% within Europe to 18% towards North Africa, 21% towards the North Atlantic and 23% towards Asia/Pacific, with the total number of flights in the network currently 2% higher than in 2025.
The impact on European airlines
The crisis in the Middle East could not fail to affect European airlines, with Aegean Airlines operating 2 flights a day to the Middle East, up from 13 previously, recording a 85% drop, but still maintaining a relative presence in the region.
Turkish Airlines, which was the most important “player” in the region before the crisis, remains the most active airline in the region, operating 45 flights a day, a number that is, however, down 61%, followed by Pegasus (13 flights -76%).
Three airlines, Wizz Air, Wizz Air Malta, and Ryanair, no longer fly to the area.
The picture is similar in the market of non-European airlines, with Qatar Airways, the number one company in the region, operating just 26 flights per day, compared to 216 previously (-88%) and flydubai operating 26, from 120 (-79%). Emirates, on the other hand, has reduced the number of flights by just 37% and is currently the airline that operates the most flights from and to Europe from the Middle East, while Saudia, Royal Jordanian and MEA Air Liban have increased their flights to Europe (+3%, +8% and +39%, respectively).
The economic impact
The economic impact is severe, with the average price of aviation fuel, which remained relatively stable from the beginning of 2025 until the eve of the crisis, increasing sharply from February 28, reaching $5.1 per gallon on March 20, a 134% increase compared to the average price from January 2025 to February 27, 2026.
Depending on the duration of the crisis and the risk hedging of airlines, ticket prices are expected to rise, which could have a significant impact on demand and make some routes unviable.
