Greece Airports Map

[Melchior Dow]

Theshort answer seems to be that some countries have persuaded Google to blur out specific areas for "national security" reasons. Wikipedia has an article on it with some more (limited!) information. Interestingly, I couldn't find any official Google article on blurring in Maps, apart from some general references to Street View. And, as it turns out, Street View at ATH works as normal.

(By the way, I'm not saying that there are no security/privacy risks with Google Maps, Bing or other tools; it's just that some risks are more credible than others. security.SE would be a good place to ask more about that.)

Most other countries have entirely separate military bases. With Greek geography being so fragmented by mountains and islands though, and with such a shortage of flat land where runways can be built, it simply isn't practical for every island and every major area of habitation to have separate air force bases and civilian airports. Combining the two makes absolute sense; but it does have the knock-on effect of requiring precautions to be taken for the civilian airport which would normally only apply to a military establishment.

Most Western countries wouldn't consider this level of military infrastructure to be necessary. After the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 though, Greece is very aware of the vulnerability of its territory and the need to be able to rapidly deploy troops to defend that territory. This is a major factor in Greece still requiring its young people to carry out national service. The military are regularly visible in a way which might be normal for people in Northern Ireland or Israel, but not for people in much of the rest of the world.

I was once getting a flight home from a small airport on the Greek mainland. We boarded the plane but take off was delayed for a long time. The pilot got on the intercom and apologised for the delay which was 'due to congestion in the Athens airspace'. We then saw a Nato AWACS take off from the runway we were waiting to use. Shortly after that two very smartly-dressed Greek Air Force officers walked out of the flight deck, got in a car and drove away.

The airports of Greece serve millions of locals and visitors from abroad throughout the year, making it possible to reach various locations on the Greek mainland or the islands in no time.

The biggest airport in Greece is the International Airport of Athens, which is located right outside the capital and can be easily reached by bus, suburban railway, or metro from the city center. Athens International Airport receives the majority of foreign visitors arriving in Greece; from there, most of them catch a connecting flight to travel to the Greek islands by plane or get to one of the ports of Athens to travel to the islands by ferry.

It is good to know that the majority of airports in Greece are not connected via direct flights; to get from one place to the other, most of the time you will have to get a connecting flight at the Airport of Athens or take a bus, train, private transfer or ferry.

Greece boasts some International Airports, which serve domestic and international flights, and National Airports which only serve domestic flights (maybe some charter flights from abroad from time to time, too).

Below, you will find more information on both types of airports in Greece.

Situated at various locations in Greece and the Greek islands, the country's International Airports have been designed to receive domestic flights, as well as scheduled or charter flights from abroad.

The largest and busiest International Airport in Greece is the International Airport of Athens "Eleftherios Venizelos", near the city center of Athens. This airport is connected to all the airports of Greece, while it also receives direct flights from most European capitals and some smaller European cities. Intercontinental direct flights between Athens and the US, Canada, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Tunisia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are also available.

The second biggest International Airport in Greece is the Airport of Thessaloniki, which is quite popular among those spending their vacation in the northern part of the country.

Other notable international airports include the ones of Heraklion, Santorini, and Mykonos, which get quite crowded during the summer, as they serve several seasonal flights from abroad.

Note: International Airports on the Greek islands make it possible to get there directly from several locations outside Greece, without having to get a connecting flight at the airport of Athens. However, if a flight from the capital is required to reach an island, keep in mind that depending on your destination, travel time is usually between 40 and 60 minutes.

Islands that have international airports, such as Santorini, Mykonos, Crete, Rhodes, Kos, Skiathos, Corfu & Kefalonia, are usually connected to other islands via ferry crossings, which tend to be cheaper than plane tickets.

National Airports are generally smaller than International ones. They are situated in various locations, including many islands and a few cities on the mainland. Most of them serve only domestic flights directly from Athens and a few ones from Thessaloniki, allowing travelers to reach another location easily.

Domestic flights are highly recommended to visitors from abroad who arrive at Athens International Airport and wish to travel to the islands. In this way, you will save a lot of time by not having to go to the port to catch a ferry.

DestinationsSelect a DestinationAeginaAgistriAlonissosAmorgosAnafiAndrosAntiparosArachovaAstypaleaAthensChaniaChiosCorfuDelphiDonoussaElafonissosEpidaurusErmioniFolegandrosFourniGythioHalkiHalkidikiHeraklionHydraIkariaIosIrakliaIthacaKalavrytaKalymnosKarpathosKeaKefaloniaKimolosKosKoufonisiaKyparissiaKythiraKythnosLassithiLefkadaLemnosLerosLesvosLipsiMathrakiMeganisiMesolongiMeteoraMilosMonemvasiaMycenaeMykonosMystrasNafpaktosNafplionNaxosNisyrosOlympiaPargaParosPatmosPatraPaxiPelionPorosPorto HeliRethymnoRhodesSamosSantoriniSchinoussaSerifosSifnosSikinosSimiSkiathosSkopelosSkyrosSpartiSpetsesSyrosThassosThessalonikiTilosTinosZagorochoriaZakynthos

Do you have a question about Greece and the Greek islands? Where to stay? Where to eat? And more?

Do not hesitate to ask the community! Greeka team and its community members will be delighted to help you!

Fraport AG is one of the leading companies in the global airport business and active at 30 airports on four continents (IPO in 2001). As an airport company, Fraport provides the full range of operational and management services relating to airside and terminal operations. The 2019 traffic figures for Frankfurt Airport are impressive: more than 1,400 aircraft took off and landed and over 6,000 tonnes of cargo were handled at FRA per day.

"Through strategic planning and rigorous staff training to maintain and enhance the already high level of safety and security across 14 regional airports, we achieved minimal operational disruptions in 2022, serving 31.19m passengers, 3.4% above pre-pandemic levels. By integrating these elements during 2023, we faced the challenges posed by wildfires (e.g. Rhodes), ensuring the safety of passengers, personnel and assets while also minimizing disruptions to air travel."

"Amid the 2021 pandemic, five airports successfully concluded the comprehensive four-year infrastructure enhancement initiative for all 14 regional airports, managed by Fraport Greece. Upholding its dedication to continuously enhancing safety and functionality across these airports, significant follow-up projects are presently in progress. Concurrently, shifting towards environmentally friendly practices, we have made a steadfast commitment to achieving zero CO2 emissions by 2045, with an interim target of reducing CO2 emissions by 19.300 tonnes, by 2030."

"After months of hard and collaborative work from IT&T, Corporate Communications and HR & Training, the new "Fraport Greece Portal" has been developed, aiming to advance our corporate communication and collaboration. The platform is built on the MS SharePoint and provides us with a secure, versatile, expandable and easy-to-engage environment in order to receive, search, create, access and share corporate news and information, regardless of the location."

"We published a preventive wildlife strike strategy, implemented at the airports operated by Fraport Greece during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study showcases the fundamentals of wildlife management, airport ecology, flight safety and sustainability in a structured manner. The best practices of this preventive wildlife control strategy are presented for potential broader application in the aviation industry."

Fraport Greece is focusing on a sustainable future. Acting sustainably means shaping the future in a responsible way. This is true for employees, local communities as well as other stakeholders of the company. Fraport Greece understands sustainable development as a continuous process and this is what it bases its daily operations on. Fraport Greece has high demands of itself to be a responsible employer and a reliable business partner that takes its corporate values seriously.

Terminal management comprises the overall management of terminal facilities and the optimization of passenger processes at the 14 Greek Regional Airports whereas traffic management includes route development, i. e. establishing and maintaining contacts with airlines.

Fraport Greece is currently developing commercial concepts for Duty Free, Retail, Food & Beverage, Airport Parking, Advertising and other Non-Aviation Activities at each of the 14 regional airports in Greece.

Emissions of gaseous pollutants, greenhouse gases and particulate matter from the aviation transport sector, affect the current and will affect the future climate. The net effect is increasing tropospheric and boundary layer temperatures and decreasing lower stratosphere temperatures. Conversely, climate change affects aeroplane performance and by inference the whole of the aviation sector.

3a8082e126