Flights to Athens from the UK: Airlines, Airports and Year-Round Options

Athens is the one Greek destination you can fly to directly from the UK all year round. It’s a classic city break in its own right and the main gateway to the islands, with domestic flights and ferries continuing to Santorini, Crete, Rhodes, Corfu and beyond. All flights land at Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” (ATH), about 30 km east of the city center.

Quick facts

• Flight time from London: about 3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours, slightly longer from Scotland and northern England.
• Time difference: Greece is 2 hours ahead of the UK.
• Season: year-round from London; some regional routes are seasonal.
• Currency: euro (EUR).
• Mobile data: EU visitors can usually roam at home prices, but many UK mobile plans now charge a daily fee in Greece. Check your plan before you go, or buy a local data eSIM in advance, for example a Greece eSIM from Airalo (affiliate link).
• Entry: Greece is in the Schengen area. UK passport holders are registered in the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES), which takes your fingerprints and photo at the border, so allow extra time on arrival. The separate ETIAS travel authorization has not started yet. Always check the latest GOV.UK travel advice before you go.

Which UK airlines fly to Athens?

Based on published schedules checked on October 8, 2026:

UK airport	Airlines (direct)	Notes
London Heathrow	British Airways, Aegean Airlines	Several flights a day, year-round
London Gatwick	easyJet, Aegean Airlines, Sky Express	Year-round
London Luton	easyJet, Wizz Air	Year-round
London Stansted	Ryanair	Year-round
Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh and other regional airports	Mainly easyJet, Jet2 and Ryanair, depending on the airport	Many routes are seasonal, from spring to autumn

Routes and frequencies change every season, so check the airline’s own timetable for your airport and dates.

Low-cost or full-service?

• easyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air usually show the lowest headline fares, but the cheapest tickets include only a small under-seat bag. Add the cost of a cabin bag or hold luggage and seat selection before you compare.
• British Airways and Aegean generally include more in the ticket, such as hold luggage on standard fares, and fly to Heathrow, which is handy for onward connections. Their cheapest “basic” or “light” fares may be hand-baggage only, so read the fare rules.
• Jet2 includes a more generous cabin bag allowance than most low-cost airlines, and is worth comparing if it flies from your local airport, especially as part of a package.

When are flights cheapest?

Off-peak, low-cost return fares from London can drop well under £100 (around €115) on sale dates. In peak summer, school holidays and around Easter, returns can climb to several hundred pounds. As a rule of thumb:

• Cheapest: November to March, outside Christmas and New Year.
• Good value: April to early June and mid-September to October, which are also the most pleasant months for sightseeing.
• Most expensive: July, August and UK school holidays. Greek Orthodox Easter often falls on a different date from UK Easter, and both weeks are busy.

Midweek departures are often cheaper than Fridays and Sundays. If you’re flexible, compare all the London airports and your nearest regional airport.

Flying from elsewhere in Europe

Athens is well connected across Europe, with frequent flights from Ireland, the Netherlands, France, Germany and beyond. Search Dublin–Athens, Amsterdam–Athens, Paris–Athens or Berlin–Athens.

Athens as a gateway to the islands

Most Greek island routes from the UK are seasonal, so outside summer the usual plan is to fly to Athens and connect:

• Domestic flights: Aegean Airlines (with its regional brand Olympic Air) and Sky Express fly from Athens to the main islands, including Santorini, Crete, Rhodes and Corfu, most in about an hour or less.
• Ferries: sail from Piraeus, the main port, and Rafina, east of the airport. Allow plenty of time between landing and a ferry departure.
• Separate tickets: if your international and domestic flights are on separate bookings, the second airline isn’t obliged to help if a delay makes you miss your connection. Leave a generous buffer, or book a single ticket.

When you land

The metro, the 24-hour X95 express bus and fixed-fare taxis link the airport with central Athens. Our guide to Athens airport to the city center compares fares and journey times. Arriving late with family or lots of luggage? You can also pre-book a private car with GetTransfer (affiliate link). To choose a neighborhood, read where to stay in Athens.

Also flying from Bristol, Glasgow or Newcastle? Check those routes too.

Plan the rest of your trip

• Athens airport to the city center: metro, bus and taxi compared
• Where to stay in Athens: the best neighborhoods
• Where to stay in Santorini
• Flights to Crete from the UK: Heraklion or Chania?
• Flights to Rhodes from the UK
• Flights to Corfu from the UK

How we research: this guide is based on official sources and published airline and transport schedules, not on a sponsored visit. Information was checked on October 8, 2026. Schedules, routes and prices change, so confirm with the airline, operator or venue before you travel.

Sources

• Athens International Airport (destinations and airlines): aia.gr
• European Union, Entry/Exit System and ETIAS: travel-europe.europa.eu
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Greece travel advice: gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/greece
• Airline websites: britishairways.com, aegeanair.com, easyjet.com, ryanair.com, wizzair.com, jet2.com, skyexpress.gr

Featured image: Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” at night. Photo: Mojitive (English Wikipedia), March 2009, via Wikimedia Commons (file “Athens International Airport Night View.jpg”), public domain. Resized and compressed.