With the departure of the first charter flight to the Cyclades, this year's Greek holiday season has officially begun at Klagenfurt Airport. In close cooperation with the long-established Carinthian tour operator Springer Reisen and the German airline Avanti Air, the regional airport will become the central starting point for holidays in the Aegean Sea in the coming months.
The 2026 program is characterized by a strategic expansion: While the established connection to Paros and the associated accessibility of the neighboring island of Naxos will dominate the early summer season, a direct connection to Skiathos will be added to the flight schedule for the first time in late summer. This development underscores the trend toward decentralization in Austrian air traffic, where passengers increasingly seek shorter distances and stress-free processing at smaller airports. For Klagenfurt Airport, the expansion of the charter business represents a significant strengthening of non-aviation and aviation revenues in a highly competitive market environment.
Cyclades connection and the role of the Avanti Air
The highlight of the first half of summer is the weekly connection to the island of Paros, which operates every Saturday. In recent years, Paros has established itself as an exclusive alternative to the often overcrowded resorts like Mykonos or Santorini. With its port towns of Parikia and Naoussa, the island offers a well-developed infrastructure that is particularly popular with discerning travelers. These flights are operated by Avanti Air, an airline specializing in charter and ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance) services. Modern regional aircraft are used, whose capacity and range make them ideally suited to the demands of the Klagenfurt market.
A special feature of this offer is the combined accessibility of the neighboring island of Naxos. Since Naxos does not have an international airport for large charter planes, guests from Klagenfurt are transferred via an exclusive boat service from Paros. According to the tour operator, this private boat transfer takes only about 20 minutes, significantly reducing travel time compared to connecting flights via Athens. This logistical solution makes it possible to connect even smaller and more authentic destinations directly to the Carinthian market without significant infrastructure losses.
Strategic change in late summer: heading for the Sporades
A significant addition to the 2026 flight schedule is the connection to Skiathos. From mid-August to the end of September, the island in the Northern Sporades will be served by direct flights from Klagenfurt every Friday. Skiathos is internationally renowned, primarily for its technically sophisticated airport, which, due to its short runway and proximity to the sea, is often compared to the airport of Saint Martin in the Caribbean. For the Carinthia region, this expansion means an extension of the travel season well into autumn.
The island of Skiathos also serves as a hub for the neighboring island of Alonissos. Island combination tours, where travelers change accommodations during their stay and explore different islands, are experiencing increasing demand, according to industry experts. Springer Reisen is responding to customer demand for greater flexibility within its Greek portfolio with the new Skiathos route. The inclusion of free baggage allowance in the charter fares is highlighted as a key comfort factor that sets these offers apart from the often restrictive baggage policies of budget airlines.
Competition and infrastructure development at the Klagenfurt site
For Klagenfurt Airport, cooperation with specialized tour operators like Springer Reisen is a stable pillar in its overall strategy. Maximilian Wildt, Managing Director of the airport, emphasizes the importance of long-term partnerships for maintaining the attractiveness of the Carinthian economic region. In addition to charter flights to Greece and Bulgaria – where the operator Seniorenreisen flies to Varna in early summer – the airport relies on a mix of hub connections and point-to-point connections.
The connection to the Vienna hub via Austrian Airlines, with up to eleven weekly flights, remains the most important lifeline for business travelers and international transit passengers. This is complemented by the expansion of Eurowings' services to Cologne and the increase in Ryanair's connections to London and Palma de Mallorca to up to three and five weekly rotations, respectively. Also new in summer 2026 is the Italian airline SkyAlps, which has established a direct connection to Rome. This diversification of the flight schedule is intended to reduce dependence on individual market segments and sustainably stabilize passenger numbers.
Land development as a second pillar
Beyond pure flight operations, Klagenfurt Airport GmbH is pursuing an ambitious strategy in real estate and land development. Approximately 420.000 square meters of potential development land are available for investment projects. These areas, located in the immediate vicinity of the runway, are to be allocated through Europe-wide tenders based on long-term usage rights.
The aim of this land development initiative is to attract businesses that benefit from the direct transport links and proximity to the state capital. By creating commercial and industrial areas on the airport grounds, the location generates additional revenue streams that are not directly affected by fluctuations in passenger traffic. This long-term focus is part of a comprehensive modernization process designed to position Klagenfurt Airport as a multifunctional economic hub in the Alps-Adriatic region.
Outlook for the 2026 travel season
Forecasts for summer 2026 are optimistic. After the challenges of recent years, Greece has proven to be one of the most resilient destinations in the Mediterranean. The focus on niche destinations like Paros, Naxos, and Skiathos allows regional providers to successfully compete against the mass tourism of major hubs.
For the people of Carinthia, the current service offers a high degree of convenience. Short travel times to the airport, quick check-in, and direct landings at the destination without time-consuming layovers are the main arguments in favor of flying from Klagenfurt. With the addition of SkyAlps' Rome connection and the increased presence of low-cost carriers like Ryanair, Klagenfurt Airport will offer one of the most diverse flight schedules in recent years in the summer of 2026. The coming months will show how well the new capacity is received by the market, but the successful inaugural flight to Paros has already sent a positive signal for the entire tourism region.