Greece’s regional airports get a face-lift

The Greek government has announced that development and upgrade work on the country’s 14 regional airports will commence in November.

The announcement follows the government’s approval last September of Fraport’s proposed plans for the airports.

More than 400 million euros are expected to have been invested in the development and upgrade works at the airports the German-Greek consortium Fraport Greece, by 2021.

Works are scheduled to begin at the airport on Mykonos, the gateway to one of Greece’s most popular island destinations in the Cyclades.

The airport on Mykonos, which this year so far has recorded a 33.6 percent increase of the aircraft it serves and a 19.3 percent growth in passenger traffic, will be closed from November 16 to the end of the same month in order for works to take place on the airport’s runway.

The airport’s full revamp will include expanding and remodelling the terminal – 50 percent increase in the total size of the terminal at 13,350 m2, with the construction of a new terminal area; new fire station; reorganizing apron; 13 percent increase in the number of check-in counters (from 12 to 16); 17 percent increase in the number of departure gates (from 6 to 7) and 25 percent increase in the number of security-check lanes (from 4 to 5).

Traffic at the 14 Fraport-run airports grew by 11.4 percent to some 4.2 million passengers in September 2017.

Fraport Greece, the consortium of Fraport and Slentel (a unit of Greek energy Copelouzos Group), inked a 40-year contract in December 2015 with the Greek state to manage the airports at 14 regions across Greece that include three mainland gateways (Thessaloniki, Aktion, and Kavala) and 11 airports on Greek islands (Chania on Crete, Kefalonia, Kos, Mykonos, Lesvos, Rhodes, Samos, Santorini, Skiathos and Zakynthos).