[VIDEO] The new Heraklion International Airport will be finished in time in 2026 – New design in progress

With a new design, a larger terminal and a different architectural look, the construction of the new airport in Kasteli Heraklion is indeed progressing. As has been known since December, the terminal increased in volume by 32% to 91,000 sq.m. instead of 68,000 sq.m. provided for in the original contract.

This large increase also brought the new design of the terminal, which architecturally will be a point of reference for Crete. It is no coincidence that during his visit yesterday, the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, spoke of an “architectural jewel”.

The photorealistic renderings from the time of the signing of the contract for the new international airport of Heraklion that showed a much simpler construction no longer exist and in their place we will have an airport that will meet all the conditions of sustainability, green design and friendliness to the environment but also the peculiarities of the Cretan land.

After all, this was also pointed out by the Minister of Infrastructure, Kostas Karamanlis in his speech yesterday, saying that “the new airport of Heraklion in Kasteli will be the largest and most modern in the Mediterranean. A true Regional Aviation Hub of Southeastern Europe, capable of serving up to 15 million visitors per year for 25 years. Consider the dynamics that such an important entry-exit gateway will give to Crete. Think of the overall prospects that lie ahead and the role it will play not only in the development of the island, but also in our national economy as a whole.”

As you can see in the video provided by ypodomes.com, a lot changes in the image that the passenger will see whether he is coming to the airport or leaving it.

The aim is to become an investment attraction, to become a transport hub and also to be the first “green” Greek airport from the first day of its construction with a reduction of the carbon footprint on the environment with a harmonious integration into the historical, cultural and natural environment of Crete.

Projects progress at 20%

The works have now reached 20% and the aim is to have the new airport completed and operational in 2026. The cost of the works is expected to exceed 600 million euros. The contractor is the GEK TERNA-GMR scheme. The Indians of GMR have in their portfolio some of the largest airports in Asia such as the one in New Delhi.

The new airport of Heraklion will incorporate all the latest technologies in the field of terminal construction and will be of high international standards. It is built using the BIM method and its construction will obtain LEED certification. Together with Athens airport, they will also be the only ones in Greece to have aircraft take-off and take-off bellows.

However, its contribution to employment will also be great. During the construction period alone, 2,000 jobs are expected to be created while it is estimated that there will be over 7,500 direct jobs during its operational period. And the indirect jobs are estimated at around 35,000, or if we compare it equal to around 15% of the total population of the city of Heraklion.

What changes in design

Following the recent amendment to the construction contract, the following change and increase:

The joining of the Schengen and non-Schengen areas with a new access, with a new bridge.

The creation of a larger terminal due to the revision of the processing time required to serve a passenger. For this change, the COVID pandemic was also taken into account, which diversified the needs and requirements.

The creation of sanitary facilities at the departure gates.

The increase in size of the police station from 89 square meters to approximately 500 sq.m.

The possibility of parking a much larger number of aircrafts, as the number of parking spaces increased from 5 to 16 and 4 new ones were created for Airbus A321neo planes.

Flood protection projects were included in the contract.

What will be built?

The new airport will include:

-1 landing-takeoff runway of 3,200 meters length, category according to ICAO 4E

-1 parallel aircraft taxiway of equal length

-8 connecting taxiways of the runway with the parallel taxiway

-2 connecting taxiways with the runway of the Military Airport

-Aircraft parking area (apron) for 27 remote aircraft parking spaces according to ICAO C category & 5+1 MARS type spaces according to ICAO category E (or 10+2 fixed parking spaces of Category C)

-1 Airport Terminal Building (Terminal Building) 5 levels of total area and about 13,000m2 of commercial areas and about 1,000m2 of permanent exhibition areas

-11 Buildings/Facilities required for airport operation: Control Tower, Fire Department, Police, Airport Maintenance, Ground Handling Company Facility, Power Center, 150kV Substation, Water Tanks, Biological Treatment Facility, Fuel Storage and Aircraft Refueling Facility via Underground Hydrant System, Collection Facility airport waste

-Parking and service spaces for vehicles (Vehicles, Taxis, City-Commercial Buses)

-Internal road network

– Access road of 2 branches with 4 roundabouts

-Commercial Use Area 400sq.m.

It will also have the ability to serve the needs of complete channeling of the urban waste of the settlements of Thrapsanos, Archangelos, Galelianos, Sklaverochori,