Etihad and SKY express Open New Gateways to the Greek Islands
A new codeshare agreement between Etihad Airways and Greek carrier SKY express took effect on 14 July 2025. The partnership allows international passengers arriving in Athens to continue their journey to 24 islands and several cities in the Eastern Mediterranean. All onward flights are operated by SKY express and can be booked together with Etihad flights, using Athens as the central connection point.
The agreement improves overall coordination between international and domestic segments, making travel arrangements more straightforward for visitors connecting through Athens. With just one booking, travelers can now tap into a wider web of places that were once separate dots on the map, such as:
- Crete
- Mykonos
- Rhodes
- Santorini
- Paros
- Corfu
- Skyros
- Thessaloniki
This setup allows travelers to avoid separate reservations or baggage recheck procedures, offering a more efficient way to reach various regions of Greece.
In the past, reaching some of these spots by plane meant dealing with indirect flights or complicated transfer schedules that often took up a full day. On Paros, travelers can visit Lefkes, a quiet hillside village with narrow streets and traditional stone houses. Naousa is another stop along the way, where fishing boats gently sway by the shore and time seems to move at its own pace. These routes offer a way out of the usual crowd, guiding travelers toward places that don’t often appear on souvenir magnets.
Skyros and Thessaloniki also become easier to reach with the new setup. Skyros offers places like Agios Fokas Bay with its remote beaches and rocky coastline, as well as Linaria, a working fishing village with minimal development. In Thessaloniki, travelers can explore the Kalamaria district along the coast or walk through the covered Modiano Market, a place that still serves as a gathering point for residents.
This change makes it easier to mix and match different parts of Greece without bending over backwards to make the travel plans work. Ferries and drawn-out transfers are no longer the only option. Travelers can now hop between Athens and the islands with smoother links that let them piece together city and island time without the usual travel fuss. The streamlined system opens up more possibilities for tailored and regionally diverse itineraries.