The tender for 22 regional airports, including Sitia, is moving into a new phase.
The Hellenic Corporation of Assets (HCAP) officially pushed back the deadline for investors to submit their expressions of interest for the concession of 22 regional airports. The original cutoff of June 30 now moves to August 20. This extension arrives as a direct response to the market, with potential bidders requesting additional time to finalize their proposals and assemble their investment consortia. The goal remains clear: maximize competition for one of the most significant infrastructure concessions in recent Greek history. The winning entity will secure a 40-year rights package to administer, operate, manage, develop, expand, maintain, and commercially exploit the entire portfolio.
Rather than auctioning off the terminals individually, the state is offering the 22 airports as a single, unified investment cluster. Currently managed by the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA), this collection spans the entire country, focusing heavily on island and regional connectivity. The list includes Alexandroupoli, Araxos, Astypalaia, Ikaria, Ioannina, Kalymnos, Karpathos, Kassos, Kastellorizo, Kastoria, Kozani, Kythera, Leros, Limnos, Milos, Naxos, Nea Anchialos, Paros, Siteia, Skyros, Syros, and Chios. Treating them as a single package allows investors to build synergies between high-traffic tourist hubs and smaller, developing regional routes.
Despite their smaller scale compared to the major hubs, these airports are demonstrating consistent growth:
- 2025 Traffic: Approximately 2.4 million passengers.
- Growth Rate: An average annual increase of 10.8% since 2022.
The tender aims to leverage this traffic data to secure private investment, which the state believes will modernize facilities and improve connectivity for remote and island communities.
While the process remains in the expression of interest phase, the financial and aviation markets are already buzzing with the names of the expected contenders. Athens International Airport, the entity operating the capital’s “Eleftherios Venizelos,” is widely expected to participate. Fraport Greece, which has successfully managed 14 of the country’s largest regional airports since 2017, is also heavily favored. Fraport recently expanded its Greek footprint by taking over Kalamata Airport in a consortium with Copelouzos Group’s Delta Airport Investments and Konstantakopoulos Group’s Pileas.
Domestic construction and infrastructure giants are also circling. GEK TERNA and the Indian conglomerate GMR are already partnering to build and operate the new Kastelli International Airport in Heraklion. Information from the financial sector suggests the AKTOR Group is also preparing its bid. Given the massive appeal of aviation assets to specialized infrastructure funds, more international players could easily join the fray before the August deadline.
