Greece’s postal service is slipping further behind performance targets, with ELTA, the country’s dominant mail operator, failing to meet even the most flexible delivery standards. Complaints are rising, delivery times are stretching, and consumers face growing uncertainty over basic postal services.
Fresh data from the Hellenic Telecommunications and Post Commission (EETT) for 2024 shows a clear deterioration, as the number of user complaints jumped to 1,238, up from 988 in 2023.
Nearly 47% of these cases relate to delivery delays, 37% to communication issues with the provider, and 7% to lost or damaged items. Billing disputes and objections to provider responses account for 5% each.
Priority mail delivered as slowly as regular mail
ELTA is required to deliver 90% of A-Priority mail within three working days and 98% within five. In practice, performance falls far short: only 35% of shipments arrive within three days, and 69% within five.
EETT requires ELTA to meet specific quality indicators, but compliance remains elusive. Even with the relaxed standards introduced in 2021, current performance falls significantly below target. Earlier requirements were far stricter: 90% delivered in one day and 98% within three.
Most mail never leaves its area
2024 internal routing data reveals that Greek mail travels surprisingly short distances. 37.13% of A- and B-Priority domestic mail circulates within the same urban area. Another 4.99% stays within the same non-urban zone. In total, four in ten mail items never leave their local region.
Urban-to-non-urban routes account for 28.5% of all mail flows, while the reverse direction represents 12.7%. Purely non-urban shipments remain low at 8.6%, regardless of distance. Long-distance urban-to-urban deliveries, over 200 km, represent just 6.07% of total volume.
Parcels grow as e-commerce expands
In contrast to the struggling letter segment, parcel volumes continue to strengthen, supported by Greece’s ongoing e-commerce boom. ELTA reported €249.05 million in revenue last year. Letter mail remains its largest revenue source, exceeding €100 million, followed by courier services at €66.26 million and financial services at €42.13 million.
