A year after Fraport Greece took over 14 of the country’s regional airports in April 2017, the German-Greek consortium is still struggling to meet the expectations of local communities and Greek tourism in general. As it enters its second year of airport operation, it will be unable to offer passengers any additional terminal space, as the works on the new buildings will not begin in earnest before the end of the busy 2018 summer months. At the same time, however, there are major changes taking place, albeit slowly: The number of passengers using the airports is growing by an annual rate of 10%; all studies, plans and licenses are in place; and, most importantly, 121 air companies are poised to connect the country’s 14 regional airports with 244 destinations in 44 other countries. Fraport Greece has finalized development plans for the 14 regional airports that take into consideration the specific needs of each location. The development plans foresee the modernization, development and/or expansion of the airports’ infrastructure as the case may be, which include works from the refurbishment of existing terminals to the construction of new landside and airside facilities. Although the main construction work is set to begin after September 2018 in order to avoid creating problems for passengers during the summer season, the aim is to have seven of the 14 airports ready in 2019. The head of Fraport Greece and of parent company Fraport AG, Dr Stefan Schulte, recently said that the timetable provides for the airports of Zakynthos, Kavala, and Chania to be ready before the summer of 2019, while those of Argostoli on Kefalonia, of Aktio/Preveza, of Samos, and of Skiathos follow after the summer of 2019. For 2020, Fraport is planning the completion of work at Mytilini Airport on Lesbos, and at Kos, Rhodes and Santorini, while Fraport aims to complete work at the airports of Thessaloniki, Corfu and Mykonos by the summer of 2021.
The company’s four-year plan also provides for the creation of five new terminals in Thessaloniki, Kos, Corfu, Kefalonia, and Mytilini, as well as much-needed development and upgrading projects for all the airports. These include increasing the number of check-in booths, screening and security points, and luggage conveyor belts, while extensive upgrades will also be made in regard to airport safety, such as renewing the runway overlays, installing HBS inline screening systems for luggage monitoring, and constructing or renovating fire stations. In total, the surface of the terminals in all 14 airports will expand by about 100,000 m², thereby considerably strengthening their capacity. After taking over the 14 airport, Fraport Greece has activated an investment programme of EUR 415 million. The first step was taken in late 2017 with work at the airports of Mykonos and Kefalonia. On Mykonos, one of the world’s most popular tourism destinations, Fraport completed the reconstruction of the runway. The old runway, which had exceeded its official lifespan, was replaced with a new, stronger strip that will be able to support the Cycladic island airport’s passenger traffic for the next 20 years. Kefalonia Airport is also receiving upgrades, as Fraport is repairing its ATC tower and the central terminal building of the Ionian island. Among the other interventions currently being implemented at Argostoli’s ‘Anna Pollatou Airport’ is the cleaning of the main trench drains in the restricted-access area, as well as upgrading of the main runway, whose lifespan has also expired. Another airport that has been getting special attention is that on the south-eastern Aegean island of Kos. The runway has been upgraded, while construction on a new terminal is set to start. Once finished, it will cover a surface area of 23,106 m² and replace the existing – and far smaller – building. Fraport Greece plans for the development of the Kos Airport also include: A new fire station; Refurbishment/expansion of the Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP); a 75% increase in the number of check-in stations (from 16 to 28); and a 125% increase in the number of security lanes (from 4 to 9). Alexander Zinell, CEO of Fraport Regional Airports of Greece Management Company S. A., commented: “Our plan for the massive overhaul of Kos Airport has begun. The safety of our passengers is a top priority for us, and for this reason, the reconstruction of the runway and apron pavement has been scheduled during the off-season. Kos Airport will welcome the summer season with a brand-new infrastructure serving the growing tourism business on the island.” The next airport to undergo an infrastructure facelift will be that of Zakynthos in the Ionian Sea. Works at ‘Dionysios Solomos Airport’ will begin in the coming weeks and will mainly concern its modernization. This is set to include the expansion and reorganization of the terminal building, an increase in the number of parking spaces, and the upgrading of the biological waste treatment unit. A new fire station will also be constructed and a state-of-the-art system for managing and screening luggage will be installed. The concession of all airports will have a period of 40 years starting from the date of transfer of operations on 11 April 2017. According the timetable of Fraport Greece – which paid EUR 1.234 billion to obtain control of the 14 airports and has already launched an investment of another EUR 415 million – all of the work being planned will have been completed by 2021. #1072.6
