Charlotte airport gains new direct route to another European capital. What we know

American Airlines is adding a nonstop flight from Charlotte to Athens next summer, the carrier announced Thursday.

Service will begin June 5 between Charlotte Douglas International Airport and Athens International Airport . American will have four daily flights to Greece — more than any other airline, according to the company. This will be a seasonal service , running from June 2025 through September 2025, according to CLT.

“New service to Athens gives our customers the opportunity to experience the rich culture and cuisine of Greece, step back in time among ancient ruins, and venture to the beautiful Greek islands,” Ralph Lopez Massas, American’s senior vice president of Charlotte operations stated in a news release. “American’s continued growth reinforces our commitment to Charlotte and its important role in connecting customers from the Southeast U.S. to our...global network.”

T ickets will be available for purchase starting Sept. 9 on aa.com and American’s mobile app.

“This development highlights the significance of the strong partnership between CLT and American Airlines as the hub carrier,” said CLT Chief Executive Officer Haley Gentry

The airline is also adding direct routes to Caribbean country St. Vincent and the Grenadines in December. American also announced service to Canadian destinations Quebec City, Calgary and Vancouver .

American Airlines accounts for about 87% of the flights at the airport. Charlotte Douglas is the second-largest hub for the Fort Worth, Texas-based company.

CLT served 53.4 million passengers last year — an 11.9% increase from 2022, according to the Airports Council International-North America. It is the seventh-busiest airport worldwide for arrivals and departures, according to ACI rankings for 2023.

The Athens announcement was part of American’s 2025 schedule with new routes to Europe. American will break records next year for the airline’s largest trans-Atlantic schedule out of Charlotte, with more nonstop access to the continent from Charlotte Douglas, Massas and the airline said.

American’s flight to Athens is one of eight European destinations operated nonstop from Charlotte next summer. The others are Dublin; Frankfurt, Germany; London; Madrid; Munich; Paris; and Rome.

More routes coming to CLT

Several airlines announced new flight routes for Charlotte airport passengers in recent months.

Spirit Airlines is adding a nonstop flight from Charlotte to New Orleans in October and Fort Myers, Florida, around spring time. During the summer, Frontier began flights to Boston and Miami from Charlotte. Direct routes to Cincinnati area started in the spring.

Earlier this year, the Denver-based company also announced routes to: New York/LaGuardia; Houston-Bush; Dallas-Fort Worth; Chicago O’Hare; Baltimore-Washington; Buffalo, New York; and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Contour Airlines also announced a new route which would provide another option to reach Pennsylvania cities such as Philadelphia, Pittsburgh or Harrisburg.

The low-fare carrier announced that flights to Altoona-Blair County Airport in Martinsburg, Pennsylvania, will start in October.