Tourism in Greece is booming, and air visitors is following swimsuit. In 2024, the rustic completed its moment consecutive file for vacationer arrivals, welcoming just about 40 million guests.
Initial estimates point out that air visitors at Greek airports in 2024 surged 18 % in comparison to the pre-crisis 12 months 2019. Athens Airport, the biggest within the nation, skilled a 13 % build up in passenger numbers right through the primary 11 months of 2024 in comparison to the similar duration within the earlier 12 months.
Tourism is a the most important pillar of the Greek financial system, accounting for about one-fifth of the rustic’s gross home product and employment. Greece is closely making an investment in airport infrastructure to house this enlargement, as many amenities are already running at complete capability.
New Main Airport below Development in Crete
For instance, Nikos Kazantzakis Airport in Heraklion (Crete) is overloaded, dealing with just about ten million passengers yearly. To handle this factor, a brand new airport is being built close to Kastelli, situated 17 kilometers south of the town. The mission is being performed by way of the Ariadne Airport Crew consortium, which contains the Greek building company GEK Terna and the Indian airport operator GMR Airports. This consortium holds 54.1 % of the airport corporate, whilst the Greek state owns the remainder 45.9 %. Development is underway, and the primary plane will land on the new airport in 2027. The Ariadne Crew will arrange the airport for a minimum of the following 32 years.
In a similar way, Athens Airport could also be drawing near its capability limits, lately accommodating 31 million passengers. To reinforce its amenities, the airport corporate plans to speculate roughly 650 million euros in a phased growth of terminal capacities to give a boost to 40 million passengers. This plan contains the development of a brand new eight-level parking storage, an extension of the apron, and extra parking areas for 34 plane.
German Fraport Invests Tens of millions in Greek Airports
Fraport AG, a German corporate, has operated 14 regional airports in Greece since 2017. This portfolio contains the airport in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest town, and airports on standard vacationer islands corresponding to Rhodes, Mykonos, Kos, Santorini, and Corfu.
Whilst Fraport’s house airport in Frankfurt skilled a 14 % lower in passenger numbers within the first 9 months of 2024 in comparison to 2019, the placement in Greece used to be somewhat other. Passenger numbers at Fraport-managed airports rose by way of 6.4 % from the start of January to the tip of November.
Fraport is making important investments in Greece. Since 2017, the gang has invested over 600 million euros in modernizing and increasing its Greek airports. Within the subsequent 5 years, Fraport Greece plans to speculate 200 million euros extra to reinforce the airports’ capacities in Santorini, Mykonos, Kos, and Corfu.
Kalamata Airport to Lengthen the Crew
Moreover, a fifteenth airport will probably be added to their portfolio. In early December, Fraport Greece, in partnership with two Greek firms, used to be awarded the running concession for Kalamata Airport. Kalamata is situated within the southern Peloponnese peninsula, a impulsively growing tourism house. The consortium can pay 45.2 million euros for the 40-year running rights and plans to speculate an additional 28.3 million euros within the modernization and growth of the airport.
In the meantime, the sovereign wealth fund is getting ready to award running concessions for the remainder 22 Greek airports, which might be smaller regional airports lately controlled by way of the federal government. A few of these airports, corresponding to the ones at the islands of Paros, Syros, Naxos, Milos, and Chios, have important vacationer doable. As extra guests search to keep away from overcrowded locations, Greece is witnessing a rising passion in in the past under-visited vacation areas.
The comfortable procedure for those concessions will probably be awarded as a unmarried bundle to 1 operator within the coming months. The objective is to switch the control of the airports to the brand new operator earlier than the tip of the 12 months, thereby privatizing all 38 industrial airports in Greece.
