Chania International Airport
Chania International Airport "Daskalogiannis" (IATA: CHQ, ICAO: LGSA) is an international airport located near Souda Bay on the Akrotiri peninsula of the Greek island of Crete, serving the city of Chania, 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) away. It is a gateway to western Crete for an increasing number of tourists. The airport is named after Daskalogiannis, a Cretan rebel against Ottoman rule in the 18th century and is a joint civil–military airport. It is the sixth busiest airport in Greece.
Chania International Airport "Daskalogiannis" Κρατικός Αερολιμένας Χανίων, "Δασκαλογιάννης" | |||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Public/military | ||||||||||
Owner | Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority | ||||||||||
Operator | Fraport Greece | ||||||||||
Serves | Chania, Crete | ||||||||||
Focus city for | |||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 149 m / 490 ft | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 35°31′54″N 024°08′59″E | ||||||||||
Website | chq-airport.gr | ||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||
CHQ Location in Greece | |||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
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Statistics (2019) | |||||||||||
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Source: Fraport-Greece[1] |
History
The focus on civil aviation for the west of Crete has not always been on the current location. It was the airport of Maleme that served civil flights up to 1959, and dating back to the end of Second World War.
Maleme (Military) Airport was constructed by the British Military, shortly before the Second World War. When the war was over, the facility was used as the main public airport of Chania.
In 1959, this activity was transferred to the military airport of Souda. 1967 saw the construction of the first passenger terminal and parking space for two aircraft. In 1974, the airport also began to serve international flights. Because of insufficient capacity, there was the need for a new terminal building. Eventually, in 1996, the new terminal was ready, measuring a surface area of 14,650 square metres (157,700 sq ft), with 6 aircraft stands in front. It has a design capacity of 1.35 million passengers per year. In 2000, it was officially named Ioannis Daskalogiannis.
The airport is also intensively used as a military airfield by the Hellenic Air Force.[2][3]
In December 2015 the privatisation of Chania International Airport and 13 other regional airports of Greece was finalised with the signing of the agreement between the Fraport AG/Copelouzos Group joint venture and the state privatisation fund.[4] "We signed the deal today," the head of Greece's privatisation agency HRADF, Stergios Pitsiorlas, told Reuters.[5] According to the agreement, the joint venture will operate the 14 airports (including Chania International Airport) for 40 years as of 11 April 2017.
In June 2018[6] completed by Fraport Greece, the new aircraft layouts, which are now using push back, for doubling the parking space, the passenger safety area has been expanded, with the increase in hand baggage checkers from 5 to 8 and the Duty Free store space increased from 400 sq.m. at 1,200 sq. meters, the VIP space was moved to increase the boarding gates from 14 to 16 and the dividing walls in the departure halls were removed in order to have a space of 3,000 sq. meters, a new pumping station was built and network (about 3.5 km) and connected to the municipal sewage network, electromechanical installations (new MCCs, new wiring, new luminaires, new electrical panels, etc.) were optimized, the Apron lighting was upgraded, the WC has been renovated, with the purpose of increase the toilets in the Extra Schengen area and the escalator was moved to a new location, in order to manage better the available spaces.
On June 10, 2018, Air Force One carrying U.S. President Donald Trump stopped for refueling in Chania during Trump's flight from the G7 meeting in Quebec to the meeting in Singapore with the leader of North Korea Kim Jong-un.[7]
Fraport Greece's investment plan
On 22 March 2017, Fraport Greece presented its master plan for the 14 Greek regional airports, including Chania International Airport.[8]
Immediate actions that will be implemented at the airports as soon as Fraport Greece takes over operations, before the summer of 2019:
- General clean-up
- Improving lighting, marking of airside areas
- Upgrading sanitary facilities
- Enhancing services and offering a new free Internet connection (WiFi)
- Implementing works to improve fire safety in all the areas of the airports
- Rearranging the terminal’s internal utilization
- Rearranging the departure gate lounge
- Expanding the security control area
- HBS (Hold Baggage Screening Systems) inline screening
- Expanding the waste water treatment plant or connection to municipal service
- Reorganizing the apron area
- Refurbishing the airside pavement
- 25 percent increase in the number of departure gates (from 8 to 10)
- Doubling the number of security-check lanes (from 4 to 8)
Airlines and destinations
Traffic figures
The data are from Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)[39] until 2016, and from 2017 and later from the official website of the airport.[40]
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Traffic statistics by country (2018)
Transportation to and from the airport
The airport can be easily reached by car, bus or taxi via the main road network. The city of Chania is about 22 minutes drive away.
Public bus (KTEL)
Telephone center: +30 28210 -93306 & 28210 - 93052
Transit bus service is provided between the airport and the cities of Chania, Rethymno and other nearby destinations. Single fare to/from the city of Chania is 2,5€. Tickets can be purchased by the bus driver or here.[42]
Local taxis
Single fare to the city of Chania is 25€.
Radiotaxi: ERMIS phone no: +3028210 - 98700
Radiotaxi: KIDON phone no: + 30 28210 - 94300
TAXI CHANIA phone no: +30 28210 - 80331
Cooperation of rural taxi of Chania area phone no: +30 28240 - 22443
Radio taxi Vrysilas (Rethymnon) telephone centre: +30 28310 - 25000
Radio taxi Arkadi (Rethymnon) telephone centre: +30 282310 - 35000
References
- "CHANIA AIRPORT "I. DASKALOGIANNIS"". Retrieved 8 January 2018.
- "History of Maleme - Maleme Airfield - German War Cemetery at Maleme". explorecrete.com. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
- "Greek Airports Guide". Retrieved 4 May 2017.
- "Greece signs privatization of 14 regional airports with Germany's Fraport - TornosNews.gr". Retrieved 4 May 2017.
- Editorial, Reuters. "REFILE-UPDATE 1-Greece signs major privatisation deal with Germany's Fraport". Retrieved 4 May 2017.
- "Το HANIA.news στο Αεροδρόμιο Χανίων – Εικόνες & βίντεο από τα έργα και τις αλλαγές".
- Herman, Steve. "Trump Admits 'Unknown Territory' Awaits in Kim Summit". VOA. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
- "Fraport Greece’s Development Plan for the New Era at the Greek Regional Airports", fraport-greece.com
- https://en.aegeanair.com/plan/flight-schedules/
- "Flight". Apollo.no.
- "Only Flight". tui.no.
- "Charter schedule" (PDF). aviolet.rs.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Charter flights".
- "Flights to Nuremberg". corendonairlines.com.
- Liu, Jim. "Corendon Airlines Europe S19 new routes/sectors". Routesonline. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
- 2017, UBM (UK) Ltd. "Eurowings adds new routes to Cyprus/Greece in S17". Retrieved 4 May 2017.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- 2017, UBM (UK) Ltd. "Eurowings expands Stuttgart service in S17". Retrieved 4 May 2017.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- https://businessinsider.com.pl/firmy/wakacje-2020-lot-poleci-do-kurortow-w-grecji-hiszpanii-i-wloch/zz5f5ew
- "LOT will launch 130 connections to several dozen European resorts". 24 June 2020.
- https://businessinsider.com.pl/firmy/wakacje-2020-lot-poleci-do-kurortow-w-grecji-hiszpanii-i-wloch/zz5f5ew
- "LOT: Nowe trasy do Włoch i na Kretę". pasazer.com. 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
- "LOT will launch 130 connections to several dozen European resorts". 24 June 2020.
- 2017, UBM (UK) Ltd. "Luxair Adds New Leisure Routes in S16". Routesonline. Retrieved 4 May 2017.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- www.chq-airport.gr
- 2017, UBM (UK) Ltd. "Ryanair expands Chania / Thessaloniki service in S17". Retrieved 4 May 2017.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- "Ryanair Launches 14 New Routes To and From Greece for 2020". greece.greekreporter.com. 21 October 2019.
- "Laudamotion outlines summer 2018 operations". routesonline.com. 16 March 2018.
- Liu, Jim. "Ryanair / Laudamotion S20 network consolidation as of 18JUN20". Routesonline. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- Liu, Jim (9 October 2019). "SAS S20 Short-Haul network changes as of 08OCT19". routesonline.com.
- 2017, UBM (UK) Ltd. "Travel Service Hungary Adds New Routes in S15". Routesonline. Retrieved 4 May 2017.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- "Flight". Ving.no.
- "Flight". Ving.se.
- "Flight". Spies.dk.
- "Flight". Tjareborg.fi.
- "Only Flight". tui.se.
- "Only Flight". tui.fi.
- Liu, Jim (3 January 2020). "TUIfly Nordic outlines Norrkoping network in S20". routesonline.com.
- "CHANIA AIRPORT "I. DASKALOGIANNIS", ypa.gr
- "CHANIA AIRPORT (CHQ) - 2017 vs 2016", chq-airport.gr
- https://www.chq-airport.gr/uploads/sys_nodelng/2/2874/CHQ_2018YTD_Int_Traffic_by_Country.pdf
- http://www.e-ktel.com/
External links
- http://www.ypa.gr/en/our-airports/kratikos-aerolimenas-xaniwn-i-daskalogiannhs-kaxnd/
- HCAA website
- Greek-Airports website
- Greek Airport Guide
- Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority
- Airport information for LGSA at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.