Thursday, July 10, 2025
China to Greece flight capacity has seen a significant boost this summer, with over Three Thousand Five Hundred weekly seats now available, following the launch of a new Chengdu-Athens route by Sichuan Airlines. This expansion strengthens the connectivity between China and Greece, enhancing travel options for passengers. The new route, combined with existing services from Air China and Juneyao Airlines, underscores the growing demand for travel between the two nations. Sichuan Airlines’ addition of a direct link from Chengdu to Athens further diversifies the air travel options available, while increasing the overall seat capacity and frequencies on key routes. This surge in flight availability reflects the growing importance of Greece as a destination for Chinese travelers, bolstering both tourism and business ties between the countries.
Athens Becomes the Key Gateway
Athens continues to be the main nexus for Chinese tourists visiting Greece, and there are frequent connections via several different airlines. Key Chinese airlines including Air China, Juneyao Airlines, and Sichuan Airlines now have regular services, which make travel to the Hellenic capital convenient. Air China links Beijing to Athens, Juneyao links Shanghai, and Sichuan covers a new route originating Chengdu via Istanbul.
From China to Athens, there were available seats totaling 3,623 for the period covering July 1 to July 7, 2025. Air China and Juneyao Airlines contributed 2,801 seats, and there were 822 by Sichuan Airlines. There are 12 weekly frequencies served by all three airlines, and they have various options available for travelers between China and Greece.
Juneyao Airlines Captures Top Seat Capacity Position
Among all the carriers, Juneyao Airlines has the maximum seat capacity for Athens. It operates Boeing 787-9 aircraft on its Shanghai-Athens route, increasing overall seat supply on this long-haul route. The airline’s hard commitment to this route is a reflection of travel demand that has increased between China and Greece, courtesy of tourism and business.
Strong Growth in Air Traffic
The latest boom in Chinese air services to Greece constitutes a spectacular turnaround compared to 2019 when there existed a sole carrier that served a lone route to Greece three times a week. By 2025, there are three direct flight routes, totaling 12 flights per week. This air traffic boom reflects a sharp rise in passenger traffic, and traffic between the two countries has increased more than twice in recent years.
Athens Strengthens Its Global Connections
Aside from the newfound Chinese routes, Athens is also becoming increasingly key as a hub for Asian travelers. Apart from the three Chinese carriers, Scoot Airlines also continues to offer services linking Athens and Singapore. These new links make Athens an increasingly significant entry point for travelers all over Asia, enhancing further the city’s position in travel within Europe.
Sichuan Airlines Initiates Chengdu-Athens
One of the most important advancements in enhancing Greek-Chinese connectivity is that of Sichuan Airlines’ freshly launched route from Chengdu to Athens. This new route, which commenced operations on June 30, 2025, runs four times a week—Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. For this route, the airline deploys an A330-200 aircraft, which includes a stop in Istanbul. Flight number 3U3827 leaves Chengdu at 1:35 AM, and after touching down in Istanbul at 6:30 AM, leaves for Athens at 8:30 AM, touching down at 10:00 AM. On its return leg, 3U3828 departs Athens at 12:00 PM, has a stop in Istanbul, and proceeds back to Chengdu.
Sichuan Air has 5th freedom rights on Istanbul-Athens leg of the flight, which means that it has the right to sell tickets between two cities. This brings competition on this leg by other airlines like Aegean Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and Sky Express, all of which have their flights between Istanbul and Athens.
High Seat Capacity Expected for Summer 2025
Based on INSETE’s Airdata Tracker data, available seats overall during the 2025 summer season from China to Greece are estimated to reach 88,195. Such a sharp rise in seats available mirrors both leisure and business travelers’ growing demand for travel between the two nations.
Recent addition of direct flight links between China and Greece, including latest Chengdu-Athens route of Sichuan Airlines, constitutes a major breakthrough for aviation and tourism markets. Additional capacity will have undoubtedly strengthened a more healthy tourism market for Greece, affording Chinese tourists more potential to witness the country’s rich history and culture. As a result, Greece will become increasingly more important as a destination for Asian travelers, further solidifying status as a strategic entry point to Europe. Such connectivity enhancement will likely trigger increased expansions for both tourism and business links between China and Greece.
