International flights: Best ever October thanks to low-cost airlines

Last month was the best ever October, with more international flights even than October 2019 - which was a record year for Corfu tourism.

According to the figures announced by Civil Aviation Authority Employees Union President Dimitris Roussos, there were 1,069 international flights in October with 130,000 passengers compared to 840 flights and 117,000 passengers in 2019.

In 2020, when tourism was hit hard by the Covid pandemic, there were just 560 flights with 63,000 passengers.

Low-cost airlines

According to Mr. Roussos, the difference was due to the airlines operating in Corfu, with Ryanair and Easyjet having the lion's share. The increased percentage of low-cost airlines brought visitors from a lot of new locations.

Arrival figures

As usual, UK and Germany were the top countries, well ahead of the rest.

Top 10 countries (flight arrivals)

UK - 332
Germany - 299
Italy - 77
Poland - 70
France - 33
Netherlands - 29
Belgium - 25
Switzerland - 23
Austria - 23
Irelnd - 23

Thus, the total for the unexpectedly good season this year, which began late, was 60% of that in 2019.

High expectations for March 2022

As far as is known at the moment, the 2022 season will begin on 27 March with a strong start expected right from the first week, with direct flights from the UK, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, Cyprus, Poland and the Netherlands. This is expected to affect Corfu Easter as well, with arrivals not only from Greece, but also from abroad.

If all goes well, it seems that next year the number of flight arrivals may even equal that of 2019.