The probable pressure on the planned capacity at Kastelli-Heraklion airport is demonstrated by the fact that the government has decided to spend an extra €105 million on extending the airport even before its completion. Speaking in a Parliamentary debate on the issue on 21st December, the deputy minister for Infrastructure and Transport Giorgos Karagiannis described it as “a strategic and political decision to transform the new airport at Kastelli in Crete into a major transit hub”.
“We are moving towards a bigger, more up-to-date, more resilient and sustainable airport at Kastelli,” the deputy minister said. “This is the only new airport which is being built in the whole of South East Europe, a fact which is of special importance for Greece’s economic growth. … It is only 4 hours from Doha, Madrid, Moscow and London. … We are turning a destination airport into a major transit centre for the whole country and the wider area.”
Mr Karagiannis noted that “at the time of the approval of the Master Plan, the movements at the existing airport were around 5 million annually, while at the time of submission of tenders for the work in 2016-17 this had risen to 7 million passengers. By 2019 the figure had exceeded 7 million and the estimates for 2030 are that passenger movements will reach 9-10 million, and 13-14 million over a 25-year timescale.
“It is clear that an airport designed for 7-7.5 million passengers would not be able to meet the continual increase in movements at Heraklion by the scheduled date of its inauguration,” the deputy minister said, adding: “It is time for an end to the rigid processes which have prevailed for years in the public sphere, at the expense of the planning, the viability and the usefulness of these works, and of the money which Greek taxpayers are paying out for them.”
Airport to increase by 32 per cent in size
Kastelli airport will now be 32 per cent larger than originally planned, Mr Karagiannis said. The main changes are:
– The terminal building will be much larger, improving the functionality of the airport as a whole.
– Modifications are being made to the runways and taxiways, the aircraft stands and the anti-flooding measures necessitated by the changes of plan.
The cost of the modifications is estimated at €105 million, as against an original budget of €520 million for the whole project.
In conclusion, Mr Karagiannis noted: “The construction work on the new airport is already 20 per cent completed, while at the same time work has begun on the VOAK and many other major projects which will give Crete the new prospects which it deserves.” (Haniotika Nea, 22nd December 2022)