Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the construction site of the new Heraklion international airport in Kasteli, Crete on Friday.
Referring to the airport project, which is currently one of the largest development projects in the country, Mitsotakis stressed that “it will be the most modern airport in the Mediterranean,” and it is expected to operate in 2028.
“Crete is changing, Crete is rapidly entering the third decade of the 21st century, resolving outstanding issues from the past and is now being protected with infrastructure projects that will give it unprecedented growth and momentum,” Mitsotakis said, adding that “we are resolving outstanding issues from the past and are providing Crete with important infrastructure projects that it so desperately needed.”
The Kasteli Airport is designed to handle the growing tourism and cargo demands of Crete, Greece, replacing the existing, capacity-constrained Nikos Kazantzakis Airport in Heraklion.
Mitsotakis said that it will welcome more than double the number of flights that Heraklion “Nikos Kazantzakis” airport currently handles, commenting that the utilization of the area where the airport is currently located will also be beneficial for Crete’s capital city.
Work on the new Heraklion airport is 67% complete
On his part, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Christos Dimas stressed that the work on the airport is now 67% complete and that the new Heraklion international airport will be operational in 2028.
The schedule remains aggressive, with initial test flights tentatively scheduled for 2027, signaling the final countdown to full operation. The construction of the 400,000 square meter (about 4.3 million sq ft) main runway is nearing its final stages, while work on the auxiliary facilities and the vast terminal building is progressing rapidly.
The project is being developed under a public-private partnership (PPP) model by the Heraklion Crete International Airport (HCIA) consortium. The Greek State holds a significant stake of 45.9 percent, with GEK TERNA Group holding 32.46 percent and the Indian GMR Group holding 21.64 percent.
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