From November 1, 2025, Greece’s Civil Aviation Authority plans a €3 Passenger Fee at Heraklion’s Nikos Kazantzakis Airport to cover costs until Kasteli opens.
From November 1, 2025, Greece’s Civil Aviation Authority plans a €3 Passenger Fee at Heraklion’s Nikos Kazantzakis Airport to cover costs until Kasteli opens.
Greece’s Civil Aviation Authority proposes a €3 “Passenger Fee” at Heraklion’s Nikos Kazantzakis Airport starting November 1, 2025.
The tax will remain until the long-delayed Kasteli Airport finally opens (possibly 2027–2028).
Passengers are asked to fund Europe’s most notoriously dysfunctional airport — one with cracked ceilings, chaotic queues, and peeling walls.
Revenues from existing airline fees are allocated directly to the state budget, rather than to the airport itself.
PASOK MP Eleni Vatsina slammed the proposal as yet another “charatsi” against travelers and citizens.
Europe’s worst airport — by comfort, space, and basic dignity — now wants you to pay extra for the privilege of enduring it. Starting November 1, 2025, every passenger departing from Heraklion’s Nikos Kazantzakis Airport will be charged a €3 “Passenger Fee,” according to Greece’s Civil Aviation Authority (ΥΠΑ). The fee will remain in effect until the much-advertised, long-delayed Kasteli Airport opens its doors, scheduled to occur sometime between late 2027 and 2028.
So, what exactly are travelers funding? The same dim corridors, suffocating departure halls, and toilets that look like they surrendered in the 1980s. Essentially, this new levy is less an “improvement fee” than a “cover the cracks until we finally bulldoze it” fee.
Downstairs restroom (departures area) at Heraklion International Airport in 2024. (Photo: Argophilia)
The Numbers Game
ΥΠΑ Governor Georgios E. Saounatsos admitted in a written reply to PASOK MP Eleni Vatsina that the agency’s revenue from Heraklion Airport has dwindled to nearly nothing, even though:
Airline fees for takeoffs, landings, and parking are allocated directly to the state budget, not the airport itself.
The Civil Aviation Authority still bears all the operational and investment costs, as dictated by the concession contract.
The proposed solution? Passengers themselves.
“The central state once again shirks its responsibilities,” MP Vatsina remarked, blasting the idea of yet another burden on citizens and travelers alike. “Instead of reinforcing Heraklion’s airport, we see a last-ditch effort by ΥΠΑ to maintain a bare minimum of standards in the very first image visitors have of Crete.”
Heraklion’s Nikos Kazantzakis Airport: where peeling paint, endless queues, and now a €3 fee greet you before your flight.
Kicking the Can to Kasteli
The irony cuts deep. The government continues to tout Kasteli as the gleaming future of Cretan aviation, while Heraklion’s current gateway crumbles under neglect. Meanwhile, the only “investment” on the table is to make passengers subsidize their own suffering.
Until the mythical day Kasteli opens, travelers will continue to queue, sweat, and sigh in Europe’s most infamous airport — but now, they will be paying €3 more for the honor.
Iorgos Pappas is the Travel and Lifestyle Co-Editor at Argophilia, where he dives deep into the rhythms, flavors, and hidden corners of Greece—with a special focus on Crete. Though he’s lived in cultural hubs like Paris, Amsterdam, and Budapest, his heart beats to the Mediterranean tempo. Whether tracing village traditions or uncovering coastal gems, Iorgos brings a seasoned traveler’s eye—and a local’s affection—to every story.
