Completion of a new airport on the Greek island of Crete has been pushed back to 2028, but transport officials say they are laying the groundwork for what will eventually be a major regional transport hub in the eastern Mediterranean.
The new opening date of Heraklion International Airport (HIA) in Kasteli, central Crete is to ensure that all digital and security systems are fully integrated before the project opens, project officials say.
With a project valuation of 500 million euros ($577 million), Kasteli Airport is one of the largest infrastructure projects in Greece. The new airport will replace the old Nikos Kazantzakis Airport located near the city of Heraklion and will serve 11 million passengers annually, Gianni Smaragdakis, the project’s construction coordinator and public relations director, confirmed to ENR.
“We’re going to start with 11 million and try to get to 15 million quickly,” Smaragdakis said. “We want the airport to be busy.” The master plan offers an option to expand passenger capacity to 18 million people.
Construction, led by contractor TERNA SA, began earlier this decade and is now 67 percent complete, Smaragdakis confirmed.
The project is being overseen by the special purpose entity, International Airport Heraklion Crete Concession SA. Its task is to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the new airport under a 35-year concession ratified by Greek law. The company must also design, build and finance connecting roads that access the airport.
The Hellenic Republic owns 45.9% of the concession, Greek construction giant GEK TERNA Kasteli SMSA owns 32.5% and GMR Airports Greece SMSA owns 21.6%.
Looking for quick answers on construction and engineering topics?
Try Ask ENR, our new intelligent AI search tool.
Ask ENR →
The airport is being built to meet ICAO Class 4E standards, which will allow it to serve large long-haul aircraft such as the Airbus A350 and Boeing 777. The 3,200-metre runway is designed for high-capacity international traffic, with the option to build it to 3,800 m in the future. There will be one main parallel taxiway of equal length, eight fast exit taxiways and two transverse taxiways that will connect to an adjacent Greek military air base.
A parking apron will house 27 remote stands and up to 10 fixed contact stands. The control tower will have seven levels of 44 m height and will be equipped with state-of-the-art fully digital navigation equipment and air traffic management systems.
The 93,000 square meter terminal is structurally complete and interior mechanical systems are currently being installed.
In February, a tender was opened for the airport’s air navigation systems following the signing of an air navigation equipment agreement between HIA and the Greek Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport at the end of January. Considered a key step towards certification and future operation, the tender includes the design, supply and installation of equipment, testing, integration and maintenance of the airport’s aeronautical systems. The tender also includes communication, navigation and surveillance systems.
Kasteli Airport will take over the role of the old airport which is to be decommissioned. “Kazantzakis airport will operate until the day Kasteli opens,” Smaragdakis said.
Kazantzakis Airport is named after the famous Greek author Nikos Kazantzakishas seen the number of passengers increase in recent years to serve around 100 airlines with 160 destinations in Europe, Asia and Africa. The Kasteli project is currently the only new airport planned or under construction in the eastern Mediterranean, and the aim is to turn it into a regional transport hub. Smaragdakis said that’s not the main goal of the airport project right now, but it’s being built so it can grow into that role.
The new airport is expected to have a major economic impact on the island of Crete, with the creation of 7,500 permanent jobs and the expectation that it will spur further private construction in nearby urban areas.
