Air arrivals increase by 10.8% in May, led by British visitors
Corfu saw nearly 269,000 air arrivals in May 2026, underscoring a strong start to the tourist season and the island’s enduring popularity among European visitors. Photo: Enimerosi archive
CORFU. Around 494,000 passengers passed through Corfu ‘Ioannis Capodistrias’ Airport in May 2026. Of these, 269,016 were arrivals and just 1,540 were transit passengers, underlining the island’s role as a final destination rather than a connecting hub.
Driven by a large number of international arrivals, this year’s tourist season in Corfu is progressing positively, as data from Corfu Airport show a double-digit increase in passenger traffic already in the first five months of 2026.
In May, the airport handled a total of 493,908 passengers, marking a 10.8% increase compared to the same month in 2025, when 445,897 passengers were recorded. Of these, 37,403 were domestic passengers, up 4.5%, while international passengers reached 456,505, an increase of 11.3%.
Detailed May data also highlight the character of Corfu’s airport as a destination airport. Arrivals reached 269,016, departures totaled 223,352, while only 1,540 passengers were recorded as transit, meaning they used Corfu as an intermediate stop to continue their journey. This represents just 0.57% of arrivals, confirming that nearly everyone landing at Corfu Airport had the island as their final destination.
The British market remains the main driver of Corfu tourism. In May, 114,758 arrivals from the United Kingdom were recorded, with total passenger traffic reaching 208,531, accounting for 42.2% of the airport’s total traffic. Germany followed with 101,556 passengers, Poland with 37,592, and France with 32,303, while the presence of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy was also notable.
The picture for the first five months is even more encouraging. From January to May, Corfu Airport handled 760,111 passengers, compared to 679,653 in the same period of 2025, recording a total increase of 11.8%. Domestic traffic stood at 134,544 passengers (+6.8%), while international traffic reached 625,567 passengers, posting a significant rise of 13%.
These figures show that demand for Corfu not only remains strong but is also growing significantly, despite increasing competition in the Ionian region. With Avlonas Airport in Albania still not operational, this year may also represent the last full reference point before air traffic balances shift in the wider region.
GIORGOS KATSAITIS
