Direct flights from the United States to Greece will begin earlier than previous years ahead of the summer tourism season with the inaugural 2022 flight scheduled for March 7.
The announcement was made by Greece’s Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias on Monday, following a meeting with U.S. Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt.
“Great meeting with Vassilis Kikilias discussing the resumption of direct American carrier flights to Greece next month & the prospect of another record American tourism year,” Pyatt wrote on Twitter. “We welcome the govt’s lifting of testing requirements for vaccinated Americans as a further catalyst to economic revival.”
Kikilias said that American airline companies this summer will operate 14 direct flights every week between eight large U.S. airports and Athens International Airport.
Delta, United and American Airlines announced their inaugural flights which are scheduled as follows:
- March 7: Delta Airlines from JFK (New York City), Atlanta and Boston airports
- April 1: United Airlines from Newark and Washington Dulles airports
- April 7: American Airlines from JFK (New York City), Chicago and Philadelphia airports
In a similar meeting with Canadian Ambassador to Greece Mark Allen, the Greek minister said direct flights from Canada to Athens will begin on April 2.
Greece expects tourist numbers from the U.S and Canada to increase this summer after two years of COVID-19 restrictions that negatively impacted travel.
The Greek government recently lifted the mandatory COVID testing before travel requirement for fully vaccinated travelers coming from the U.S., Canada and Australia.
Featured image courtesy of Brett Sayles from Pexels
