Athens Airport arrivals down by 16 pct
Tourists are seen leaving the Stoa of Attalos in the Ancient Agora of Athens in this file photo. Data from Athens International Airport (AIA) showed yesterday that the number of international arrivals dropped 16 percent last month from a year earlier, with overall passenger figures down 12 percent in March. A total of 639,852 international passengers passed through the airport in March, down from 763,853 in 2008, according to AIA. Domestic passengers declined 3.4 percent. The figures bring the drop in the first quarter to 7.9 percent, according to the airport, with international figures down 12 percent and domestic traffic easing 0.7 percent. Industry officials expect a drop of up to 20 percent in international tourism arrivals this year from 2008 levels.
