Skiathos International Airport

Skiathos Alexandros Papadiamantis Airport (IATA: JSI, ICAO: LGSK) is an airport on the island of Skiathos, Greece. Its 5,341-foot runway is able to accommodate aircraft up to the size of a Boeing 757-200. The runway is characterised as 'short and narrow'. Because of the uneven terrain on the island of Skiathos, Skiathos Airport was created by reclaiming land from the sea between Skiathos island and the smaller island of Lazareta (a former leper colony) effectively joining the two islands into one larger island. It is named after Alexandros Papadiamantis, a Greek novelist who happened to be an island local.

Skiathos International Airport "Alexandros Papadiamantis" Κρατικός Αερολιμένας Σκιάθου «Αλέξανδρος Παπαδιαμάντης»
IATA: JSI ICAO: LGSK
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Greek State
Operator	Fraport AG/Copelouzos Group joint venture
Location	Skiathos, Greece
Elevation AMSL	54 ft / 16 m
Coordinates	39°10′39″N 023°30′13.23″E
Website	jsi-airport.gr
Map
JSI Location of airport in Greece
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 01/19 5,341 1,628 Asphalt
Statistics (2019)
Passengers 446,219 Passenger traffic change 1.9% Aircraft movements 4,179 Aircraft movements change 0.5%
Sources:Fraport Greece[1]

The airport's short runway and its proximity to an adjacent public road have made it a popular destination for planespotters. It is often compared to Princess Juliana International Airport on Saint Maarten since both airports offer the public an ability to legally experience landing approaches and takeoffs at very close range.[2][3]

History

The airport first operated in 1972.[4]

A passenger terminal and a new control tower was constructed in 1988. In 2001 the terminal was closed down by a minor earthquake, and a new passenger terminal opened in 2002, to better accommodate the growing number of passengers.

From 2019, as part of the Fraport construction works the airport has 2 current terminals. Terminal 1 was reconstructed and is currently the Domestic Terminal, and Terminal 2 is for international arrivals.

Skiathos Airport has no jetways, meaning, prior to the 2016 work, passengers walked the short distance from the aircraft to the terminal building, now, a collection of buses drive passengers the short distance.

From 2014, there was extension to the runway and a new taxiway was introduced. The runway was extended by 110 metres on the north side of the airport. An extension was added to the taxiway, for an additional 4–5 parking stands. The airport has the capacity for only 6 additional parking stands. This opened in 2016.

The island has only a roundabout at the airport, and 1 set of Traffic lights at the end of the runway.

In December 2015, the privatization of Skiathos Island National 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 privatization fund.[5] "We signed the deal today," the head of Greece's privatization agency HRADF, Stergios Pitsiorlas, told Reuters.[6] According to the agreement, the joint venture will operate the 14 airports (including Skiathos Island National Airport) for 40 years as of 11 April 2017.[7]

Future of Skiathos International Airport - Fraport Greece’s investment plan

On 22 March 2017, Fraport-Greece presented its master plan for the 14 Greek regional airports, including the Skiathos International Airport.[8]

Immediate actions that will be implemented at the airports as soon as Fraport Greece takes over operations, before the launch of the 2017 Summer season include:

• General re-organisation and reworking of terminal
• Improving lighting, marking of airside areas
• Replacing sanitary facilities with newer systems
• Enhancing services and offering new free Internet connection (WiFi)
• Implementing works to improve fire safety in all the areas of the airports

The following summarizes the enhancement changes that will be implemented for Skiathos International Airport under Fraport Greece’s investment plan by 2021 :

• Expansion and reorganisation of the terminal building, alongside general clean-up of the apron area
• Additional check-in desk for the current number (from 9 to 10)
• Additional departure gate, expanding the current number of three to four
• Addition of a brand-new security lane to the current one

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Austrian Airlines	Seasonal: Vienna
Aviolet	Seasonal charter: Belgrade[9]
Blue Panorama Airlines	Seasonal: Bergamo, Milan–Malpensa, Rome–Fiumicino
British Airways	Seasonal: London–City
Condor	Seasonal: Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart(begins 24 May 2021)
Cyprus Airways	Seasonal: Larnaca
Finnair	Seasonal: Helsinki
Jet2.com	Seasonal: Birmingham ,[10] Leeds/Bradford (begins 19 May 2021) [11] London–Stansted ,[12] Manchester [12]
Lauda	Seasonal: Vienna [13][14]
LOT Polish Airlines	Seasonal: Warsaw–Chopin [15]
Neos	Seasonal: Milan–Malpensa, Verona
Olympic Air	Athens Seasonal: Thessaloniki
Scandinavian Airlines	Seasonal charter: Copenhagen[16] Gothenburg,[17] Oslo-Gardermoen,[18] Stavanger,[18] Stockholm-Arlanda[17]
Ryanair	Seasonal: Vienna
Sky Express	Athens
Sunclass Airlines	Seasonal charter: Copenhagen,[19] Oslo–Gardermoen[20]
TAROM	Seasonal charter: Cluj-Napoca, Bucharest
TUI Airways[21]	Seasonal: Birmingham, Bristol, Bournemouth ,[21] East Midlands ,[21] London–Gatwick, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne (begins 4 May 2021)[21]
TUI fly Netherlands	Seasonal: Amsterdam
Volotea	Seasonal: Bari, Naples, Turin, Venice, Verona (begins 6 July 2021)[22]

Traffic figures

The data taken from the official website of the airport.[23]

Year Passengers Domestic International Total 2009 16,470 218,601 235,071 2010 16,880 213,609 230,489 2011 20,473 226,185 246,658 2012 18,465 236,440 254,905 2013 25,216 240,557 265,773 2014 32,097 283,300 315,397 2015 34,560 318,523 353,083 2016 44,174 350,827 395,001 2017 43,740 380,366 424,106 2018 48,228 389,688 437,916 2019 55.535 390.684 446.219 2020 (Jul) 7.986 12.866 20.852 Ground transport Skiathos Airport is located 4.5 km from the city of Skiathos and is accessible either from Skiathos ringroad or the coast road. The journey to and from the city centre takes about 10–15 minutes, depending on traffic. 24/7 metered taxi service is available outside the Skiathos Airport Terminal building. See also List of airports in Greece References "SKIATHOS AIRPORT "A.PAPADIAMANTIS"". Retrieved 9 January 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqhYArauo3Q "Passenger jets skim over tourists' heads at Skiathos Island Airport in Greece". Stuff. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2019. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 10 April 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) "Greece signs privatization of 14 regional airports with Germany's Fraport". tornosnews.gr. 14 December 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2017. "Greece signs major privatisation deal with Germany's Fraport". uk.reuters.com. 14 December 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2017. "Fraport Greece Begins 40-Year Concession at 14 Greek Regional Airports". fraport-greece.com. Retrieved 16 July 2017. "Fraport Greece’s Development Plan for the New Era at the Greek Regional Airports", fraport-greece.com "Charter schedule" (PDF). aviolet.rs. "Flights from Birmingham". https://www.jet2.com/timetable Liu, Jim (22 October 2019). "Jet2.com S20 new routes as of 18OCT19". routesonline.com. Liu, Jim (8 November 2019). "Lauda S20 Vienna network expansions as of 07NOV19". routesonline.com. Liu, Jim. "Ryanair / Laudamotion S20 network consolidation as of 18JUN20". Routesonline. Retrieved 19 June 2020. https://businessinsider.com.pl/firmy/wakacje-2020-lot-poleci-do-kurortow-w-grecji-hiszpanii-i-wloch/zz5f5ew "Flight". apollorejser.dk. "Flight". apollo.se. "Flight". apollo.no. "Flight". spies.dk. "Flight". Ving.no. "Flight Timetable". tui.co.uk. https://www.volotea.com/it/sala-stampa/notizie/notizie/volotea-annuncia-a-verona-circa-1000000-di-posti-in-vendita-e-2-nuove-rotte-esclusive-per-preveza-lefkada-e-skiathos-per-un-totale-di-23-destinazioni-19-delle-quali-esclusive/