Heraklion International Airport
Heraklion International Airport "Nikos Kazantzakis" is the primary airport on the island of Crete, Greece, and the country's second busiest airport after Athens International Airport. It is located about 5 km east of the main city centre of Heraklion, near the municipality of Nea Alikarnassos. It is a shared civil/military facility. The airport is named after Heraklion native Nikos Kazantzakis, a Greek writer and philosopher. Nikos Kazantzakis Airport is Crete's main and busiest airport, serving Heraklion, Aghios Nikolaos, Malia, Hersonissos, Stalida, Elounda and other resorts.
A new airport for Heraklion, located 39 km to the south-east of the city at Kasteli, is under construction and due to open by 2025. Once completed, the new Kasteli International Airport will replace the current Heraklion International Airport as the hub for central Crete.
History
The airport first opened in March 1939. This was then merely a piece of flat agricultural land. The first aeroplane carried the first passengers to the site. During the Second World War operations ceased, but in the fall of 1946 traffic resumed, introducing the DC-3 aircraft.At first, the airport only offered very basic service, with only primitive installations on the site, in the form of three tents, smoke for wind determination and storm lamps for runway lighting.
In 1947, the first terminal was erected. Hellenic Airlines started commercial flights in 1948. At that time, a total of 4,000 people were served. The year 1953 saw the construction of a paved runway which was initially 1,850 meters long and oriented as 09/27. The next major event followed in 1954, when a four-engined DC-4 aircraft landed for the first time at the airport. In that year the airport handled approximately 18,000 passengers. From 1957 onward, the new Olympic Airways used the airport, starting services with the DC-6 aircraft. Jojo AIr also flew here but ended service on July 2, 2001.
From 1968 until 1971, the runway was extended to 2,680 meters and a new terminal and other facilities were constructed, essentially making it a new airport. On March 18, 1971, the first charter flight from abroad operated at the airport. The new airport itself was officially inaugurated on May 5, 1972.
Terminal Extension
The latest airport expansion projects began in October 2017. The projects will be entirely financed by the Duty Free Shops SA, in agreement with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport and the Hellenic Ministry of Waters, without any cost to the Greek government, include:- the redesign of the layout of the ground and the first floors of the airport
- the expansion of the terminal by 2,900 m2), an extension of 17 meters to the airside
- the renovation of a further 8,000 m2) within the existing terminal
- the increase in the number of gates for arrivals and departures of passengers
- integration of the arrival hall
- the modification of a luggage belt, so that passengers are not required to queues for their receipt
- improve the operation of electronic ticketing
- upgrading the video ad system
- the modernization of air conditioning in the arrivals hall
Further events
| Year | Event |
| 1973–1975 | Construction of aircraft hangars and service roads |
| 1988 | Inauguration of new international departure and arrivals lounges |
| 1992 | Completion of new international arrivals lounge |
| 1994 | Operation of new international departures lounge |
| 1996 | Completion of airport expansion by 11,700 m2 |
| 1997 | Operation of new international departures lounge |
| 2005 | Completion of airport expansion by 18,985 m2 |
| 2018 | Expansion of the terminal by 2,900 m2 and renovation of a further 8,000 m2 |
Airlines and destinations
Statistics
Traffic figures
Historical annual traffic statistics| Year | Flights | Passengers | Passengers Change |
| 2001 | 39,290 | 5,046,726 | 2.0 |
| 2002 | 36,664 | 4,791,729 | 5.1 |
| 2003 | 39,523 | 4,833,507 | 0.9 |
| 2004 | 38,170 | 4,712,508 | 2,5 |
| 2005 | 38,266 | 4,932,911 | 4.7 |
| 2006 | 43,740 | 5,345,652 | 8.4 |
| 2007 | 46,012 | 5,438,369 | 1.7 |
| 2008 | 45,280 | 5,437,068 | 0.02 |
| 2009 | 44,842 | 5,052,840 | 7.1 |
| 2010 | 42,396 | 4,907,337 | 2.9 |
| 2011 | 44,520 | 5,292,687 | 7.9 |
| 2012 | 40,856 | 5,076,329 | 4.6 |
| 2013 | 43,544 | 5,792,429 | 14.7 |
| 2014 | 43,637 | 6,024,958 | 5.2 |
| 2015 | 43,970 | 6,057,355 | 0.5 |
| 2016 | 47,804 | 6,742,746 | 11.3 |
| 2017 | 51,114 | 7,336,783 | 8.8 |
| 2018 | 55,680 | 8,098,465 | 10.4 |
| 2019 | 52,294 | 7,933,558 | 2.0 |
Other facilities
The airline Bluebird Airways has its head office at the airport.Trivia
- It is often requested by airlines that passengers do not take any photographs or video of the runway. This is because of a Hellenic Air Force base which operates at the airport.