- Heraklion Airport ranked 268th out of 279 airports worldwide.
- Rhodes Airport placed even lower at 271st.
- Flight punctuality was a major factor behind the poor scores.
- AirHelp evaluated airports across 76 countries.
- Passenger experience and airport facilities also influenced rankings.
- The findings come despite record tourism numbers in Crete.
Millions of travelers pass through Crete every year. Yet one of the island’s most important first impressions continues to disappoint.
Heraklion’s Nikos Kazantzakis Airport has once again landed near the bottom of a major international airport ranking, placing 268th out of 279 airports evaluated worldwide in AirHelp’s 2026 Airport Score report.
For many travelers, the result may sound familiar.
Argophilia reported similar concerns in 2024, when overcrowding, seasonal pressure, and aging infrastructure were already drawing criticism. Two years later, the airport remains among Europe’s weakest performers despite continuing growth in visitor arrivals.
A Vital Gateway Struggles Under Pressure
The ranking places Heraklion among the lowest-performing airports in Europe, alongside several major transportation hubs that also struggled with delays and passenger satisfaction.
According to AirHelp, flight punctuality remains one of the airport’s biggest challenges. The study places significant weight on on-time performance, measuring whether flights arrive within 15 minutes of their scheduled time.
The result is hardly surprising to frequent summer visitors.
Nikos Kazantzakis Airport serves one of Greece’s most popular holiday destinations and operates under intense seasonal pressure. During peak months, passenger numbers swell dramatically as airlines connect Crete with dozens of European cities.
That success, however, comes with consequences.
Long queues, crowded terminals, and operational strain have become recurring themes during the busiest weeks of the tourism season.
“The ranking reflects the realities of an airport carrying enormous seasonal demand through infrastructure that was never designed for today’s passenger volumes,” a tourism observer might conclude after reviewing the findings.
Rhodes and Other International Airports Also Rank Poorly
Crete was not alone. Rhodes International Airport ranked even lower, finishing 271st overall. Like Heraklion, Rhodes handles huge seasonal tourism flows that place exceptional demands on airport operations.
Elsewhere in Europe, several major airports also found themselves near the bottom of the table.
Among them were:
- Tunis Carthage Airport (279th)
- Ho Chi Minh Airport (277th)
- Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (274th)
- Manchester Airport (269th)
- Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (267th)
- Toronto Pearson Airport (263rd)
The results demonstrate that airport challenges are not limited to Greece. High passenger volumes, infrastructure limitations, and operational bottlenecks continue to affect some of Europe’s busiest tourism gateways.
What Makes an Airport Score Well?
AirHelp’s methodology combines several performance indicators.
The ranking is based on:
- 60% flight punctuality
- 20% passenger experience
- 20% airport facilities and services
To calculate passenger experience scores, nearly 14,300 travelers from 76 countries submitted evaluations covering multiple aspects of airport performance.
Passengers were asked to assess:
- Staff helpfulness
- Waiting times
- Accessibility
- Cleanliness
- Signage
- Information services
- Food and beverage options
- Retail offerings
The emphasis on punctuality explains why airports experiencing chronic delays often struggle to achieve high overall rankings, even when passenger facilities perform reasonably well.
The ranking arrives as Crete prepares for a major aviation transition.
With the new Kastelli International Airport under development, expectations remain high that the island’s long-standing airport challenges will eventually ease. The new facility is expected to offer greater capacity and more modern infrastructure than the aging Heraklion airport can provide today.
