There won’t be any flights from Heraklion International Airport “Nikos Kazantzakis” (IATA: HER, ICAO: LGIR) from February 19 to 24 due to its closure. On a portion of the major runaway, asphalting is now underway.
The Heraklion “Nikos Kazantzakis” airport will not be serving any flights from today, Monday, February 19, at 10:30 a.m., until noon on Saturday, February 24, due to asphalt paving work on a 700–800 meter part of the main runway. During this time, passengers will be diverted to Sitia Public Airport (IATA: JSH, ICAO: LGST) and Chania International Airport (Daskalogiannis; IATA: CHQ, ICAO: LGSA).
The works, according to airport manager Giorgos Pliakas, will take place in the middle of the runway. He noted that at least 800 meters of the runway will basically have a new asphalt carpet thanks to the paving works.
Pliakas mentioned that the timing of the work was deliberate, as this is the week with the least amount of passenger traffic in the entire year.
The airport manager clarified that “there have been other modernization projects at the airport,” referring to the new buses that will carry passengers to the planes as well as the central air conditioning units. “If we consider that it is an airport that has a date end of operation, I think that what we are doing are quite important steps, to be able to serve passengers better, until we go to the new International Airport of Heraklion in Kasteli, where we will serve them much better.”
The most up-to-date estimate now says that the International Airport of Heraklion in Kasteli will be built by the end of 2025 – a little more than the earlier date of May 2024. Heraklion Nikos Kazantzakis Airport will no longer handle business flights once the new airport opens.