Airport type Public / Military Elevation AMSL 1,180 ft / 360 m 8,038 2,450 Elevation 1,180 m | Location Kastelli, Heraklion 02/20 8,038 2,450 Asphalt Owner Hellenic Air Force | |
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Kastelli Airport (ICAO: LGTL) is a mixed-use public/military airport located south-east of Heraklion, in Kastelli on the Greek island of Crete. It started operating in 1940 and it now has a single runway with a length of 2,450m. The airport is used by F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft of the Hellenic Air Force's 133 Combat Group.
Airport expansion
It is planned that a replacement for Heraklion International Airport, "Nikos Kazantzakis" will be situated on the south western side of Kastelli Hellenic Air Force Base, from which the air force currently operates F-16 Fighting Falcon jet fighters. The idea was first proposed in 1986 by then-Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou. The project has officially entered the implementation phase, and tenders have been invited. The new airport was planned to become operational in 2014, however as of June 2016 no significant infrastructure works have been noted. The existing airport at Heraklion will be closed and an area of 278 hectares (687 acres) there will be returned to local communities for a large urban regeneration plan.
The creation of the new airport will require new road-, water- and sanitation works, as well as the transfer of settlements located within the proposed runway zone (Archangelos, Roussochoria). The construction of a 17 km road will connect the airport with Motorway 90 (A90) along the north coast of Crete, in the neighbourhood of Chersonissos. When finished, the distance from the city of Heraklion to the new airport will be approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi). Complaints have been filed for lack of a new road linking the new airport to the south coast of Crete.
The new airport will be constructed over an area of 600 hectares (1482 acres), adjacent to the current military airport in Kastelli. It will have a runway 3,800 metres (12,467 ft) long to accommodate larger aircraft than can presently be operated into Heraklion airport. An additional area of 22 hectares (54 acres) is reserved for commercial activity south-west of the new airport. This is a very large project with a budget of €1.2 billion for construction costs alone, and together with purchase costs including loans and other expenses, will reach €1.5 billion.
According to reports, four candidates have appeared for the Kastelli airport construction and management project, from Greece, China, France and Spain.