From its Athens International Airport hub, Aegean uses belly capacity on Airbus A320neo family narrowbodies to serve the Greek mainland and islands, major European cities, and points in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. Cargo from China leaves Shanghai, Beijing and other gateways, arrives in Athens on a China to Greece mainline flight and joins the Aegean belly network for distribution across Southeast Europe, the Balkans and the Mediterranean coast.
Aegean Airlines S.A. is the largest airline in Greece and the country's de facto flag carrier, headquartered in Athens. It was founded in 1999 and began scheduled flights the same year with two Avro RJ-100 aircraft, formed a regional partnership with Lufthansa in 2005, listed on the Athens Exchange in 2007, joined Star Alliance on 30 June 2010 as its 28th member, and consolidated Greek mainland and island regional routes after acquiring Olympic Air in 2013. Its IATA code is A3, ICAO code AEE, and the official site is aegeanair.com.
Aegean's main hub is Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos (ATH), with secondary bases at Thessaloniki International Airport (SKG), Larnaca Airport (LCA) in Cyprus and Greek island airports including Heraklion, Rhodes and Chania. It positions itself as a full-service short and medium haul network carrier focused on scheduled passenger service to Europe, Southeast Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean, carrying freight in passenger aircraft bellies.
Aegean operates no freighters; its cargo business is handled by the Athens cargo department, based at the Athens airport cargo terminal, which accepts bookings and cargo around the clock and covers most destinations in the network, moving cargo on the next available departure where possible. For Chinese shippers the value lies in Athens as a distribution hub: mainline capacity from China is joined to a high-frequency regional network across the Greek mainland, Southeast Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, forming a bookable air cargo corridor with transit.
Aegean carries passengers in the tens of millions a year and dominates the Greek domestic market. The Olympic Air acquisition consolidated island regional capacity into a dense connecting network radiating from Athens. As a Star Alliance member it coordinates European trunk routes with Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and other members, and Chinese shippers can use alliance interline products to route cargo through both major European hubs and Athens, gaining capacity flexibility and schedule choice toward Southeast Europe.
| Aircraft type | Scale | Main task | Suited to belly cargo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A321neo | Next-generation narrowbody | Medium and long European, Southeast European and near Middle East routes | Belly cargo, a few tonnes per aircraft |
| Airbus A320neo | Next-generation narrowbody | European trunk and dense Greek domestic routes | Belly cargo, takes LD3 containers and loose load |
| Airbus A320ceo / A321ceo | Narrowbody in service | High-frequency European and Greek domestic flights | Belly cargo, capacity allocated with the passenger schedule |
| ATR 72-600 and other turboprops | Regional | Greek islands and nearby secondary airports | Loose-load belly cargo; small piece weight and payload |
The Aegean fleet combines Airbus A320 family narrowbodies with ATR turboprop regional aircraft; the newer A320neo and A321neo are now the core of the fleet, with further deliveries ongoing. The A320 family hold takes about seven LD3-45 containers with a hold volume of about 37 cubic meters, a standard industry figure; usable belly payload varies with passenger load factor, fuel weight and the load plan for the route. No per-flight belly payload figures for Aegean are published, so sellable capacity is confirmed by the carrier's load plan on the day of booking.
Typical belly cargo on these types is general merchandise, express parcels, apparel and textiles, consumer electronics and accessories, auto parts, temperature-controlled pharmaceuticals where carrier conditions are met, and documents and samples. Greek islands and secondary airports are served by ATR turboprops, suited to small, time-critical distribution lots; European trunk points are served by the A320neo family, suited to palletised consolidation. Overweight or oversize pieces require prior confirmation of door and ULD compatibility with the carrier. Narrowbody bellies are sensitive to piece weight and dimensions: pallet height and center of gravity must stay within ULD limits, and consolidated pallets must be built and secured properly to keep handling efficient and safe through Athens transit.
Centered on Athens, the Aegean network covers more than 30 points in Greece, including Santorini, Mykonos, Heraklion, Rhodes, Chania and Thessaloniki. Beyond Greece it reaches major and secondary European cities such as London, Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Munich, Milan, Rome, Vienna, Belgrade and Bucharest, and extends into the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East with points including Tel Aviv, Jerusalem Ben Gurion, Cairo, Amman, Beirut, Dubai, Riyadh and Kuwait. The network as a whole reaches about 40 countries.
The connection path is straightforward: cargo is handed to the carrier operating the China to Greece nonstop at a Chinese gateway, and on arrival in Athens Aegean belly capacity distributes it to the final point. Air China operates Beijing Capital to Athens and Juneyao Air operates Shanghai Pudong to Athens, both with interline arrangements through Athens with Aegean, so cargo from Shanghai can reach dozens of countries and more than a hundred cities, including Southeast European and Eastern Mediterranean destinations such as Cyprus that were previously poorly covered from Shanghai.
No Aegean schedule to China is published; its aircraft do not serve Chinese points and cargo to and from China connects at a hub. Chinese carriers operate the China to Athens sector and provide belly capacity on passenger flights, while Aegean carries the Athens to Greek islands, Southeast Europe and Eastern Mediterranean sectors, with both legs under one interline waybill. Times are local. Schedules change with the season and are confirmed by the carrier on the day of booking.
| Connecting sector | Carrier | Capacity type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing Capital PEK to Athens ATH | Air China | Belly hold of passenger flights | China to Greece mainline, opened 2017 |
| Shanghai Pudong PVG to Athens ATH | Juneyao Air | Belly hold of passenger flights | Opened 2024; interline via Athens into the Aegean network |
| Athens ATH to Greek islands, Southeast Europe and the Middle East | Aegean Airlines | Belly hold of passenger flights | High-frequency regional distribution with day and night connections |
Under one interline waybill through Athens, Chinese shippers can reach Greece and the Aegean and Ionian islands; Cyprus; the Balkan countries of Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania; and European countries including Italy, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Czechia. Middle East connections cover Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and the Gulf states, and North Africa covers Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. After transit in Athens, Aegean regional flights distribute cargo to the final point without a second depalletising and re-documenting step in Athens.
Greece sits at the southern tip of the Balkans and the crossroads of the Eastern Mediterranean, often described as Europe's southern gate. The port of Piraeus, about ten kilometers southwest of Athens, is operated by COSCO Shipping and has become Europe's fourth-largest container port, its second-largest cruise homeport and a key ro-ro and ship repair center in the Eastern Mediterranean, with the China-Europe Land-Sea Express linking Piraeus to the Balkans and Central Europe. On the air side, Athens airport sits next to the Piraeus metropolitan area, which supports air-sea combinations: cargo can be distributed by air at Athens or consolidated by sea at Piraeus, giving shippers a mix of air for urgent shipments and sea for volume.
By commodity, exports from China to Greece and Southeast Europe are mainly machinery and electrical products, telecom equipment, consumer electronics, textiles and apparel, auto parts and consumer goods, distributed after Athens transit into Greek wholesale networks and secondary Balkan markets. Shipments toward China are mainly Greek olive oil, marble products, food and agricultural goods, which give the China to Greece mainline two-way belly traffic. In peak tourist season passenger frequencies to the Greek islands increase and belly capacity is released accordingly, which suits time-critical retail replenishment and urgent shipments.
Athens sits at the crossroads of the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean; distribution from there covers Greece, the Balkan peninsula and secondary Central European markets, giving China cargo an air corridor into Southeast Europe.
Aegean has high flight density to Greek islands and mainland points and can distribute cargo to Santorini, Mykonos, Heraklion, Rhodes and other main islands and secondary airports.
As a Star Alliance member, Aegean interlines under a single waybill with carriers such as Air China, so Chinese shippers can book the whole journey in one step.
The A320neo family is fuel efficient and young, with stable frequencies on European and Greek trunk points and good ability to add flights in peak season, releasing belly capacity steadily with the passenger schedule.
The Athens cargo department accepts bookings and cargo around the clock, so freight can take the next available departure, shortening transit waits for time-sensitive shipments.
Athens airport sits next to the COSCO-operated port of Piraeus, so urgent air shipments and volume sea freight can be combined within one metropolitan area, fitting different cargo types and transit requirements.
| Step | What we handle | Responsible party |
|---|---|---|
| Step one | Shipper provides commodity, pieces, weight, volume, shipper and consignee details, and transit requirements | Shipper / our records |
| Step two | We compare mainline capacity from Beijing and Shanghai to Athens and book the Aegean connecting belly space | Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited |
| Step three | Cargo is handed over at the Chinese gateway, with export clearance and documents handled | We coordinate / on site at the gateway |
| Step four | The mainline flight reaches Athens and connects to an Aegean regional flight | Carrier / Athens cargo terminal |
| Step 5 | Cargo arrives at the Greek island or Southeast European destination airport; the consignee collects it or arranges delivery | Destination agent / consignee |
Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited specializes in international air freight from China to Europe and Southeast Europe. We compare capacity between the carriers operating the China to Greece mainline objectively, and coordinate Chinese export clearance, consolidation and palletising, Athens transit connections and destination customs clearance and pickup. Aegean has no publicly listed office of its own in China; contact its local Chinese agent or let us make the introduction, with us following the booking and operations throughout.
Perishables and fresh produceFresh produce, agricultural goods, olive oil and other temperature-sensitive cargo moving between Greece and China can transit quickly in passenger bellies, with the Athens cargo terminal working around the clock to cut ground time. Temperature requirements, packaging and acceptance limits must be confirmed before shipment.
High-value cargoHigh-value goods such as consumer electronics and precision components suit the belly of frequent passenger flights, with tight Athens connections and end-to-end tracking; insure them and use sturdy packaging.
Temperature-controlled and pharmaceutical cargoPharmaceutical products and temperature-controlled cargo that meet carrier conditions can be booked as required, with temperature records and compliance documents attached; the acceptance scope is confirmed by the carrier.
Live animalsAegean bellies accept only animals such as dogs and cats that fit the aircraft conditions, with weight limits per waybill; book ahead and use rigid containers compliant with IATA rules.
Dangerous goods and lithium batteriesDangerous goods are accepted within IATA dangerous goods rules, lithium batteries only under stated conditions, with prior declaration and test reports plus compliance documents attached.
Humanitarian relief suppliesEmergency and humanitarian relief supplies can be given priority capacity and moved quickly through the Star Alliance network to recipient destinations in Southeast Europe and the Middle East.
Aegean Airlines does not currently publish a direct office in China. Contact its local agent in China or ask us to make the connection. Its Athens cargo department sits at the cargo terminal of Athens International Airport (Cargo Terminal 1-2, Building 24, GR-19019 Athens International Airport) and works around the clock, accepting bookings and cargo handover for most destinations in its network. The official website is aegeanair.com. Chinese shippers can place the whole job with Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited, which deals with the Athens cargo department and the carriers on the China–Greece mainline to arrange booking, consolidation and connections.
Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited has long specialised in air freight forwarding from China to Europe and Southeast Europe. It compares capacity on the China to Greece mainline carriers objectively for its clients and coordinates export customs clearance in China, consolidation and palletising, the Athens connection and pickup at destination. Clients only need to provide cargo details and the transit time required; we take care of booking and operations.
Goodhope Freight
https://goodhope86.com
Shenzhen, China · air freight forwarder for Europe and Southeast Europe
Prepared by Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited (Goodhope Freight). Airline names, codes and brand marks mentioned here belong to their respective owners, and our company has no affiliation, agency or investment relationship with the airlines described. The information is compiled from public sources for reference only and does not form a contract of carriage or a commitment. Space, rates and schedules are subject to actual confirmation by the carrier or its authorized agent at the time of booking.
Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited; official website: https://goodhope86.com.
Goodhope, Aegean Airlines, A3, AEE and the names, trademarks and codes of any other airline mentioned belong to their respective owners and are used only to describe cargo services.