The private jet traffic to and from the regional airports, as well as Athens International Airport, has risen 40% compared to 2019, the last pre-Covid pandemic year.

A private jet is landing or taking off from a Greek airport every 20 minutes on average, the data show.

The airports with the heaviest private jet traffic are those of Athens, Mykonos, Thessaloniki, Santorini, Corfu and Kalamata.

Experts say the reason for the higher volume is the improvement in infrastructure and services, the improvement of Greece’s brand name as a destination and the fact that high-income tourists account for a higher percentage of visitors than previously.

Related to the latter factor, there is also the rise in the number of acquired properties by high-income individuals.

From the beginning of the year up to end-July, more than 14,000 private jets have landed in the 15 airports.

The number does not include trips by helicopter, of whom there are also several thousand, since those are strictly local.

This article was previously published at ekathimerini.com.