Earlier this May, I took a rather unusual fifth-freedom flight connecting two of the biggest airports in the Balkan region of Europe – Athens International Airport (ATH) and Istanbul Airport (IST). You may expect numerous Greek and Turkish Airlines operating between these two large cities, which are popular with tourists from all over the world and rich in ancient Greek, medieval Byzantine, and later Ottoman history.

However, my flight was largely an exception in the timetable full of Turkish Airlines and Aegean Airlines flights. In fact, I took Sichuan Airlines’ shortest fifth-freedom flight on its Airbus A330-300 between ATH and IST before the aircraft proceeded to Chengdu International Airport (TFU) in China, as seen on FlightRadar24.

It was definitely the shortest widebody aircraft flight I’ve ever taken, which lasted about an hour. However, it is not the only widebody aircraft on this route, as Turkish Airlines also operates its Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A330-200 on the same IST-ATH route. However, Sichuan Airlines is, probably, the most exotic option available here.

Sichuan Airlines’ Check-In

Credit: Sichuan Airlines

The check-in process was rather old-fashioned. You had to go to the check-in counter three hours before departure to get your boarding passes, as online check-in is available only to Chinese citizens on Sichuan Airlines flights. That’s a small detail that isn’t stated anywhere. Initially, I was a bit nervous because I couldn’t check in online and received an error message when I entered the data from my booking, but the airline’s website didn’t explain why.

I had to contact its customer service to find out that all nationalities except Chinese citizens must check in in person at the airport. The check-in process at ATH and on the flight back from IST went smoothly; the only issue was that at IST, there was an extra layer of screening to verify your visas and residence permits if you were not an EU citizen before getting a boarding pass to Greece.

The Athens Airport Experience

Credit: Victoria Agronsky | Simple Flying

I started my journey in Greece for the NATO Tiger Meet 2026 airshow. Athens is served by one international airport, which is quite large and hosts airlines from all over the world, including the US Big Three, which you can spot almost every day – American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines – connecting the Greek capital with various US cities. Airlines from Asia are also common there, as I noticed two Air China and even a ScootBoeing 787 aircraft parked there.

ATH has two terminals with three boarding halls – A, B, and C — but only A (for extra-Schengen flights) and B (Schengen flights) are connected as both are located in the same building, and C is the so-called satellite terminal, which is detached, has its own security check, and is used by low-cost carriers. Passport control was pretty fast on departure, taking about five minutes, but extremely long and inefficient on arrival from an extra-Schengen flight.

The line lasted about two hours, with thousands of people from about a dozen international flights waiting to go through just three open passport control booths for non-EU citizens and two for EU citizens, as not a single e-gate was open. My recommendation is to avoid ATH for a short layover that includes an arrival from outside the Schengen Area, as some people in the crowd panicked and complained about missing their connecting flights.

My Lounge Quest At ATH

Credit: Victoria Agronsky | Simple Flying

As long as I booked the whole trip, including a flight via booking.com, I was also offered a free taxi ride and lounge access to use once in Athens or Istanbul. I decided to try one in Athens because I had a layover of more than six hours on my way back, and there were many lounges to choose from. I’ve been to many airports, and in most places, all terminals are interconnected, so you can easily walk from one terminal to another for a connecting flight. However, that wasn’t the case with ATH.

Once you land, your plane will head to one of the Halls, depending on your airline. In the case of Sichuan Airlines, the plane departs and arrives at Hall A, where passport control is located. My lounge was in Hall B, reserved for Schengen flights, which I thought was easily accessible from Hall A, since both halls are in the same main building. Oh, how deeply was I mistaken! Once we deplaned, we headed to passport control, wasted almost two hours there, and guess what!

Once you get your virtual stamp (the EU has unfortunately abolished entry/exit stamps on April 10, 2026), you go to baggage claim, and after that hall, you immediately exit the airport building and find yourself at the taxi stand, with no possibility of going straight to your connecting flights without passing through all the controls again. I noticed other passengers in dismay with large duty-free bags containing wine and other spirits, which had to go straight into the trash bin before proceeding to other flights.

Credit: Victoria Agronsky | Simple Flying

Luckily, I didn’t have any duty-free bags, so I immediately returned to the airport, found the departure hall, and went straight to the Schengen departures (Hall B), hoping to forget the negative experience at passport control while chilling out in the lounge. However, apparently, it wasn’t my lucky day, as my Ryanair connecting flight’s boarding pass didn’t work at the e-gate. The assistant checked my documents and told me that my flight departs from Hall C and isn’t connected to Hall B, so I couldn’t access my lounge. Magnificent!

I had to do some online work, so my only option now was to go to the Burger King in the main terminal before security. This fast-food restaurant is probably the best place at ATH airport, as it offers an amazing view of the apron reserved for extra-Schengen flights, with exotic airlines such as Juneyao Airlines or Saudia, and a direct runway view. And, of course, there were plenty of charging points for your phones and laptops in the restaurant.

Boarding

Credit: Victoria Agronsky | Simple Flying

Both at ATH and IST, boarding went well. And both times, our aircraft had special livery, and I managed to take good photos during boarding at ATH because we boarded via bus rather than the jet bridge. At IST, we boarded via the jet bridge, so I managed to take a close-up photo only after arrival at ATH, as we deplaned via the bus again.

The Seats

Credit: Victoria Agronsky | Simple Flying

I had an economy class seat near the window. Both times, I flew on an Airbus A330-300 with a 2-4-2 seat configuration in economy and 2-2-2 in business class, and all cabin seats and carpets were decorated in bright red. However, the seats weren’t very comfortable, especially around the neck, where a bulky cushion was attached. It was the only time I wished I had brought my travel neck cushion, but luckily, very soft blankets were offered, and I could wrap them around my neck to ease the pain.

IFE & Connectivity

Credit: Victoria Agronsky | Simple Flying

There was a pretty dated IFE screen without a touchscreen, so you had to use a controller to navigate the system. The controllers had seen better days, as some buttons had lost their color and others had a greasy feel, like an old TV remote. There was also a USB port to charge your phone, but it was the old type, so you couldn’t charge your USB-C devices.

According to the official Sichuan Airlines website, Wi-Fi is available on board selected flights for free in business class and for an extra fee in economy class. However, it wasn’t available on our flight, probably because it was too short, or it wasn’t enabled at all.

Credit: Victoria Agronsky | Simple Flying

I didn’t have enough time to review the entire content library, but I noticed that most of the content is tailored to the Chinese audience. In addition, the menu is by default in Chinese, so I had to play around to find the setting to change the language. So were the in-flight announcements and instructions, except for the safety instructions, which were bilingual, including English, per international regulations.

There was also an in-flight magazine, but without English sections. Compared with other carriers from the same region, Sichuan lacks the international touch found on Cathay Pacific and even Air China.

In-Flight Service

Credit: Victoria Agronsky | Simple Flying

The best part was the inflight service. All the flight attendants were very welcoming and friendly, and all spoke perfect English. Interestingly, during the ATH-IST flight, snacks and drinks were served while we were still on the ground, right after boarding was complete. During the return flight, snacks and drinks were served 15 minutes after takeoff.

The drinks were usual – black and green tea, coffee, and water. You could also ask for a refill. However, the snacks were pretty exotic to a European palate – spicy orchid nuts and dried date rings (as seen in the photo above), which were pretty OK.

As long as the flight was less than an hour, there was no in-flight dining available.

The Istanbul Airport Experience

Credit: Victoria Agronsky | Simple Flying

Istanbul New Airport is one of the biggest in Europe, and also the world’s most connected airport, thanks to the vast Turkish Airlines network.

Despite its massive size, the airport didn’t feel chaotic; it wasn’t crowded, and it was easy to navigate through the huge building thanks to clear indications. Passport control for Turkish citizens takes about a minute because they have dedicated e-gates. All other citizens go through the standard passport control booth. It took about half an hour to go through the control and get a Turkish stamp on the passport.

There are numerous shops and cafés in the departure area after the controls, which are quite expensive. However, there are some other, much cheaper cafés and shops in the arrival area, including a mini food court on the second floor. For example, I spent about 300 TL (or 5.5 euros) on a lunch that included a big bowl of soup, fresh pita bread, and a beverage. I was pleasantly surprised because I’d heard so many negative stories about super expensive food at IST airport.

Credit: Victoria Agronsky | Simple Flying

On my way back from IST, I decided not to use any lounges because there were numerous silent nap zones with very comfortable, free-to-use massage armchairs with foldable tables and charging stations!

Flight Details

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

I flew two different Airbus A330-300s, but both had a special livery. On my ATH-IST flight on May 13, I was on a B-5945 with a Panda and Summer Universiade 2021 livery. On my IST-ATH flight on May 18, I was on a B-5960 in Changhong Company livery featuring space-technology motifs.

Credit: Flightradar24 | Simple Flying

Both aircraft are frequently used on the ATH-IST-TFU route and other routes across China and on flights connecting China with the Middle East, according to Flightradar24. Both of my flights were on time, and, as the historical data show, most Sichuan flights are on time, or, at most, can have a 20-minute delay, as I had on my second flight. Overall, I had a good impression of the airline, but I can’t give a full rating because I didn’t have the chance to fly a long-haul route with it or try its onboard meals.

As for the airports, I enjoyed Istanbul airport more than the one in Athens, thanks to better signage, quiet areas, nap zones, less overall chaos, easier transfers, and smoother controls. However, Athens has better views and many unique aircraft and airlines parked there, which can be more interesting for an avgeek, because all you can see at IST is a monopoly of Turkish Airlines planes, with very few other carriers visible from the main terminal and the fresh-air terrace.