Romanian market: An early bet for summer 2026 – 9 new direct connections to Greece
Source: Tornos News
The Romanian market is opening early for summer 2026, with Animawings activating new direct flights to Athens, Thessaloniki, Kavala, and Kefalonia from late March. The timing of the routes indicates a strategic focus on supporting the shoulder months and enhancing connectivity with Northern Greece.
The Romanian market appears to be entering the planning phase for summer 2026 for Greece early and methodically, as Animawings opens bookings for an extensive network of new direct connections to Greek destinations.
The airline’s moves, as recorded in the booking system for the 2026 summer season, reflect a clear strategy to strengthen Greece’s presence within its network, with emphasis on both major urban centers and regional destinations.
What stands out is not only the number of new routes, but also their timing. Most connections begin in late March and early April, indicating an intention to support the shoulder months of the season rather than focusing exclusively on the peak summer period.
The choice of destinations is also particularly significant. Athens and Thessaloniki serve as key hubs in the newly added routes, while Kavala and Kefalonia are included on the map as regional destinations with growing interest from Eastern Europe. Kavala, in particular, appears for the second time within the same network, suggesting a targeted effort to strengthen direct access to Northern Greece from the Romanian market.
Specifically, Animawings is planning two new direct connections from Bucharest: to Kavala, starting on 1 June through 28 September 2026, with one weekly flight, and to Thessaloniki from 6 June through 26 September.
At the same time, new connections are being introduced from Cluj, Iași, and Timișoara. From Cluj, direct flights to Athens will operate starting on 29 March 2026 with two weekly frequencies, as well as to Thessaloniki from 4 April, with one weekly flight.
In parallel, Iași will be directly connected to Thessaloniki for the summer season, with one weekly flight operating from 6 June through 26 September 2026.
Timișoara will gain new connections to a broad range of Greek destinations—Athens, Thessaloniki, Kavala, and Kefalonia—across different periods of the season.
More specifically, a new connection to Athens is planned with two weekly flights starting on 29 March. From 8 June through 28 September 2026, a new connection from Timișoara to Kavala will be offered with one weekly flight. In addition, flights from the same airport will be available to Kefalonia (from 4 June through 24 September) and to Thessaloniki, starting on 4 April, with one weekly flight. These routes will be operated with A220-300 aircraft.
At present, flights between the two capitals, Athens–Bucharest, are offered by Aegean Airlines with 1–2 daily flights, TAROM with one daily flight, and Wizz Air Malta from 29 March 2026.
The dynamics of the Romanian market in Greek tourism
The momentum reflected in Animawings’ increased interest in Greece is not coincidental. Romania is among the Balkan countries outside the eurozone that have consistently supported Greek tourism, with particular importance for Northern Greece, both through road and air travel flows. Despite pressures recorded in the first half of 2025, available data show clear signs of recovery during the summer months.
According to data from the Bank of Greece for the first eight months of 2025, during the first six months of the year a significant decline in arrivals was recorded from non-eurozone countries, including key markets for Greek tourism such as Bulgaria and Romania. However, the trend reversed during the summer, as arrivals from these countries increased by 5.6% in July and by 6.8% in August, confirming the importance of the peak season in sustaining overall demand.
The importance of the Romanian market is also clearly reflected in the figures for 2024, when arrivals of Romanian tourists in Greece reached approximately 1.4 million. These visitors accounted for a total of 6.65 million overnight stays and total spending of €558 million. Average expenditure per capita amounted to €396, average spending per overnight stay to €83.9, while the average length of stay in the country was 4.7 days.
The original article: belongs to Tornos News .
