The major new £422million airport set to transform European island with 18million passengers a year
GREECE’S biggest island is getting a huge new £422million airport.
Heraklion, on the island of Crete, is currently preparing for a new airport in Kastelli which is scheduled to open in February 2027.
According to the New Heraklion International Airport, the new airport will serve 10million passengers each year, after opening.
This number will then rise to 18million after some time.
There will be 19 boarding gates, eight of which will be of combined use for Schengen and Non-Schengen flights.
There will be space for 27 aircraft and also a terminal building with five levels of retail space and permanent exhibition areas.
A masterplan map also shows an area shaded in purple that suggest future retail space.
In addition, the airport is due to be one of the biggest in the country and when it opens it will replace the existing Nikos Kazantzakis International Airport in Heraklion.
Nikos Kazantzakis International Airport opened back in 1937, however, it can only accommodate eight million passengers a year.
Kastelli International Airport is being built to handle the growing number of tourists heading to Greece each year.
The airport will be located a 25-minute drive away from Heraklion, which is the largest city on the island.
In total, the airport is expected to cost €500million (£422million) to build and generate a total of 7,500 jobs in the area as well as a further 37,000 indirect jobs.
In addition, the new airport is expected to give new life to Crete’s tourism.
According to Tornos News, the new airport will create a number of new roads and contain one runway which stretches 3,200 metres long with one parallel aircraft movement taxiway,
A trial launch of of the airport will take place next summer, before a full opening in 2027.
Currently, airlines including easyJet, Jet2 and British Airways fly to Crete.
These are likely to move to the new airport when it opens.
And there are a number of other new exciting airports opening around the world.
A new £25billion mega airport is also opening in Europe to ‘take on Heathrow and Dubai’ with 65milllion passengers.
Plus, one of the world’s busiest airports reveals plans for new £7billion mega terminal with 50million more passengers.