Middle East crisis disrupts flights from Athens

The news in Greek

1. λόγω
   δείχνει την αιτία για κάτι, σημαίνει «εξαιτίας» ↩︎
2. ακυρώνω
   σταματώ κάτι που είχε κανονιστεί, το κάνω να μην ισχύει πια ↩︎
3. επιβάτης  (m.)
   άνθρωποι που ταξιδεύουν με μέσο μεταφοράς, π.χ. με αεροπλάνο, πλοίο ή λεωφορείο ↩︎
4. ημερομηνία  (f.)
   η συγκεκριμένη μέρα σε έναν μήνα και έναν χρόνο ↩︎
5. επιστροφή  (f.)
   το να γυρίζει κάτι πίσω, ειδικά χρήματα που δίνει ξανά μια εταιρεία σε έναν πελάτη ↩︎
6. κουπόνι  (n.)
   χαρτί ή ηλεκτρονικός κωδικός που δίνει δικαίωμα για έκπτωση ή για μια υπηρεσία ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: Which airlines are stopping flights from Athens to cities like Tel Aviv and Beirut?

Question 2: What options do passengers have if their flight is cancelled?

Vocabulary

Greek	English
λόγω	because of
ακυρώνω	to cancel
επιβάτης  (m.)	passenger
ημερομηνία  (f.)	date
επιστροφή  (f.)	refund
κουπόνι  (n.)	voucher

Read the full story

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has led to widespread disruption of air travel from Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos”, with dozens of flights cancelled or diverted over several days.

Greek media report that on Sunday 1 March 2026 alone, around 45 flights were cancelled at the Athens airport, affecting both arrivals and departures. Cancellations had already started on Saturday, when at least 20 flights did not operate, and airlines expect the disruption to continue into the first week of March.

The main cause is the closure of airspace over several countries in the region, including Israel, Iran and Iraq, as authorities respond to the unstable security situation. With airspace in and around the conflict zone partly or fully shut, flights from Greece to these states and nearby destinations have become impossible or unsafe to operate, according to aviation sources cited in Greek reports.

Greece’s largest carrier, AEGEAN Airlines, has introduced a wide range of cancellations. In its latest announcements, the airline confirmed that it is cancelling flights up to and including 4 March 2026. The decision affects routes to and from Tel Aviv, Erbil, Baghdad, Beirut, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and Jeddah. Earlier information mentioned ten AEGEAN flights cancelled on Sunday, with a similar number planned for Monday, before the company extended the measure further into the week.

AEGEAN has also set out flexible options for passengers. Travellers holding tickets on cancelled services will be contacted by the airline or their travel agency. They are being offered a choice between refunds, credit vouchers for future use, or free rebooking on another date. In addition, passengers with tickets to or from Tel Aviv, Erbil, Baghdad, Beirut, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Riyadh and Jeddah for flights scheduled to depart up to 11 March 2026 can, if they wish, change their travel dates without extra fees. New travel can be booked up to 31 March 2026, or passengers may opt for a credit voucher instead.

A second Greek airline, Sky Express, has also suspended operations on certain routes. The company has cancelled all flights between Athens (ATH) and Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) from Sunday 1 March to Thursday 5 March. Sky Express states that these cancellations are directly linked to the suspension of Israel’s airspace. Like AEGEAN, Sky Express is offering several alternatives: passengers can change their ticket free of charge to a later date on the same route (with travel possible up to 31 December 2026), request a credit voucher valid for 12 months, or apply for a full refund.

According to the available reports, Greek aviation authorities and airlines are monitoring the situation continuously. Decisions on future flights will depend on how the conflict develops and whether airspace in the region reopens. For now, all indications from the airlines suggest that flight cancellations and schedule changes are likely to continue as long as airspace restrictions remain in force.

For international travellers and Greek diaspora communities who often use Athens as a hub to reach the Middle East, the current situation means that travel plans may need to be adjusted at short notice. Both major Greek carriers advise passengers to check their bookings regularly on the official websites—aegeanair.com and skyexpress.com—or through their travel agents for the latest updates, rebooking options and any additional instructions.

Info: Greek Learner News is a service from Let’s Learn Greek, a language school dedicated to teaching Modern Greek, where each Greek course is offered online to help learners develop their skills at their own pace.