New Gateway to Greece

Transport and Communications Minister Costis Hatzidakis recently announced a joint ministerial decree in which Araxos National Airport (45 km west of Patras) becomes an official air gateway to Greece.

This means the airport can receive flights throughout the year -not only during the summer months- from countries that are outside of the Schengen Agreement such as Russia and Ukraine.

According to this year’s arrival figures, these are countries from which the region of western Greece has begun to receive tourists.

The president of the Achaia Chamber, Costas Antzoulatos, expressed his satisfaction in regards to the transport minister’s decision. According to tourism experts, the development of the Araxos airport is one of the industry’s main demands that have finally been met.

The president of the Hotelier’s Association of Achaia, Nikos Papalexis, hailed the innovative development and stressed that “it is very positive that Araxos airport can finally accept flights from all over the world—all year long—even from countries outside of the Schengen Agreement.

“Our next goal is to reinforce the present air connections and establish new ones soon,” he said.

Air carrier Sky Express (regional airline based in Heraklion, Crete) already connects Patras with two Greek cities, while frequent air connections to Heraklion, Crete, and Thessaloniki have begun.