Greek carrier Aegean Airlines said on Wednesday it will start a daily service to Istanbul, Turkey from September 9, expanding its international routes.

Aegean, Greece's largest airline by passenger numbers in 2008, competes with recently privatised Olympic Airlines.

The airline has been steadily expanding its routes outside Greece, adding seven destinations since late 2008, including Brussels, Berlin, Barcelona, Venice and Paphos in Cyprus.

It will fly Airbus A320 aircraft on the Istanbul route.

"After five years of efforts Aegean can now link Athens with a city symbolising so much for Hellenism," chief executive Dimitris Gerogiannis said in a statement.

Last month, Aegean clinched a deal to join Star Alliance, eyeing access to many markets across the globe with large communities of Greek descendants.