Aegean Airlines, Greece’s largest airline, is extending the flight that connects Barcelona to Thessaloniki into the Winter season. The flight is currently operated twice-weekly as a Summer seasonal flight, and such frequency level will continue after the peak months in the European market.
The extension was confirmed in this weekend’s schedule changes in Cirium’s Diio Mi application. Flights through the Winter season are already available in Aegean’s sales channels, with frequencies on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Through Summer, flights between the two cities will continue being operated by the airline’s Airbus A320, with capacity for up to 174 passengers in a single class. Because Aegean sells both Economy and Business class (blocking the middle seat in the latter), the overall capacity of the flight is generally smaller.
Meanwhile, for the Winter operation the next-generation A320neo will operate the flights, according to both Aegean’s website and Cirium. With an additional row, this aircraft can carry up to 180 passengers.
See also: [Trip Report] an impressive day with Aegean Airlines from Rome to London via Athens
Aegean Airlines’ presence in Spain
Greece’s flag carrier has an important footprint in Spain, catering both to Spanish and Greek holidaymakers going to either country. This Summer, in fact, marks Aegean’s largest-ever season in Spain, with capacity measured both by seats and ASKs north of 40% higher than the same period in 2019, according to Cirium.
And the Star Alliance member’s base in Athens is its main focus for flights to and from Spain. The Greek capital is connected to Barcelona, Bilbao, Ibiza, Madrid, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, Sevilla and Valencia.
Over the years, Aegean has built a hub in Athens that, allied to its subsidiary Olympic Air’s fleet of turboprops, allows incoming passengers to connect to smaller destinations in Greece. As such, the Barcelona-Thessaloniki route is the only one that does not touch Athens.
