Daedalean Expansion

Almost a year ago I reported on Aegean Airlines' explosive growth post-Covid. On the ground, in the air, and throughout its burgeoning network, Aegean has been on a warpath of sorts. Well, the results are in for the first three quarters of 2025, and the Hellenic sun is shining bright on Aegean.

Aegean reported €1.43 Billion in total revenue, off of carrying 13.2 million passengers (yours truly accounted for a paltry 5 points of that total) on an available 16 million seats, resulting in a net profit of €148 Million. This, despite the continuing grounding of Airbus A320 and A321NEO aircraft due to problems with their Pratt & Whitney engines (the airline has gone on record to state they are not expecting the NEO engine problem to be completely fixed for another 30 months from the time of this writing.

Enhancing Loyalty

Aegean's Miles+Bonus frequent flyer program is getting a slight evolution as well, one that focuses more on Aegean's catchment area and clientele (namely, Greeks & Cypriots). It's also adding a Platinum tier on top of the Silver and Gold Levels. Details haven't been released yet, but for my money, I'm expecting it to line up more closely with the rest of the Star Alliance.

This marks a turning point for Aegean and the Miles+Bonus program. It is now on par with most of the loyalty plans throughout the airline industry, and it's one of the more favored in Europe. It still makes earning miles easier by only requiring the traveler to book based on class of service and actual miles flown, without requiring a minimum dollar spend to maintain or reach the next level of status.

Lines on the Map

Aegean's route map has been growing by leaps and bounds, with longer routes now that A320NEOS and A321LR's and XLR's are starting to make their way into the fleet this coming year. The A321NEO XLR's so far have been marketed as the long-haul workhorse for Aegean, with the first routes announced are from Athens to New Delhi and Mumbai, India, solidifying an agreement between Aegean and Indian carrier IndiGo. The dates of the first flights haven't been anounced yet, but are slated for March 2026. It is worth noting the XLR's will be laid out with Aegean's first lie-flat Business Class offering. I for one, cannot wait to see how it looks and what the onboard service and experience will be like.

Other new routes include:

• Larnaca, Cyprus - Brussels (5x weekly beginning December 1, 2025 witrh the Airbus A320NEO)

• Athens - Baghdad, Iraq (Beginning December 15, 2025 with the Airbus A320)

• Thessaloniki - Warsaw (2x weekly beginning March 31, 2026 with the Airbus A320)

• Thessaloniki - Dubrovnik (2x weekly beginning June 1, 2026 with the ATR-72)

• Thessaloniki - Milos (2x weekly beginning June 16, 2026 with the ATR 42)

• Thessaloniki - Zakynthos (2x weekly beginning June 16, 2026 with the ATR 72)

There are four routes in particular that have my attention. First and formost are the two routes to India. These will be Aegean's longest routes, and will be operated by the new Airbus A321NEO XLR's (birds that were part of an order from jetBlue that the beleagured and finanically troubled American carrier couldn't accept. The first two are currently under construction in Airbus' Hamburg factory). What's interesting to note about these XLR's, Aegean has announced they will have a Business Class not in the typical layout you see on European carriers narrowbodies, but these will have a lie-flat offering that will definitely make the long flight segments (north of 6 & 1/2 hours each way) much more bearable and comfortable. I'm hoping I get a chance to try either of the routes when they begin, as I dearly would love to see this new Business Class with my own well-traveled self. If it's anything like the previous inaugural flight I did with Aegean, from Athens to Las Palmas, they will have no problem keeping flights full and the masses in both onboard classes well taken care of.

The other two routes I'm eyeballing is the flight from Larnaca to Brussels, and from Athens to Baghdad. The Brussels route no doubt has something to do with the new EU president being a Cypriot, which basically makes the route a flying bridge between his home and the office, but it's also bookable to the traveling public. I wouldn't mind flying it myself, I love both Cyprus and Belgium, Brussels and Ypres in particular.

The route from Athens to Baghdad is another interesting one, as Iraq (before the Gulf War) was serviced both by Olympic Airways, Iraqi Airways, along with carriers such as LOT Polish, Malev, KLM, Swissair, and SAS at various times throughout the 1960's to the early 1990's. I'd like to try it just to add it to my map and list of places I've visited and seen in my life. A bucket list kind of flight, if you will. I do wonder about the viability of the route nowadays, though. Back in the past there was a huge business presence that linked the two cities, nowadays, who knows? I do hope it does well and matures into a route of permanent stature.

According to the carrier's CEO, Dimitris Gerogiannis, the airline's route focus for 2026 is to strengthen current International routes, and to focus on new destinations in West Asia and in the Middle East. The airline is also slowly moving away from having the majority of its fleet leased, with the addition of 1 new Airbus A321NEO and 1 ATR-72-600 being financed through the Aegean Group available cash reserves, while returning a leased A321NEO and ATR 72-600 to the lessors when their respective leases expire.

Accolades

For the 14th year in a row, Aegean was voted as the best Regional Airline in Europe, as well as retaining it's presence on the "100 Leading Airlines Worldwide" list according to SkyTrax, the globally recognized air carrier rating organization that hosts the yearly World Airline Customer Survey. The carrier receieves awards, commendations, and accolades like this from organizations worldwide, and has most definitely earned them. I can only hope to see this streak continue, as the carrier's workforce really does go above and beyond most other airlines in Europe, save for 2 or 3, showing the world exactly what Greek "philoxenia" (a love for new people, strangers, and travelers, turning once unknown beings into friends almost immediately) truly means. I sincerely hope if the day comes when Aegean considers widebody long haul flying, it gets to shine and show the rest of the world just how gregariously outgoing us Greeks are. But please, no dancing in the aisles.

The Travel Genius Opinion

Like I've stated in earlier posts, Aegean is a very well run carrier, and growth is carefully accelerated. This new chapter with the addition of the A321neo XLR will be a fascinating one to watch, I'm sure. Keep your eyes out on them.