Crete: Updated Master Plan for New Kastelli Airport Gets Approval

Impression of Kastelli airport.

The Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA) has approved the updated master plan for the construction of the new Kastelli Airport on the island of Crete, paving the way for works to begin.

The project is entering its next stage with the start of construction works for the airport’s main facilities and infrastructure. According to neakriti.gr, these include the airport’s terminal and runway, auxiliary runways, buildings and aircraft parking areas.

The updated master plan was submitted for approval months ago by the consortium of Greek firm GEK Terna and India’s GMR Airports Limited (GAL) that was awarded the concession contract in 2019. Its approval by the HCAA and the project’s independent engineer Hill International was delayed due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

The Kastelli Airport, set to replace the current Nikos Kazantzakis airport in Heraklion, is expected to become Greece’s second biggest, handling up to 15 million passengers per year.

It is also expected to significantly benefit Crete’s tourism industry.

The new airport will feature a 72,000m2 main terminal building with 19 passenger waiting halls, a 3.2km runway for commercial aircraft including Airbus A380 jet airliners, an apron area capable of initially housing 27 aircraft; 11 airport use spaces / buildings for airport operations requirements, including control tower, fire brigade, police, maintenance, ground installation, power center, water tanks, biological cleaning system etc.

The project also foresees the creation of commercial use areas and a permanent showroom space.

In addition, a number of other key infrastructure projects including the completion of the so-called north road axis and peripheral roadway networks are in the pipeline.