Thessaloniki International Airport’s new runway operation postponed for March 2019

Yet another extension, and most likely the very last for the operation of the new, “transatlantic” runway 10-28 of Thessaloniki International Airport “Makedonia”. According to a decision of the Ministry of Infrastructure, the project will be extended for a another 74 days from the pre-scheduled completion which was December 31, 2018. This means that the operation of the new runway will begin on March 15, 2019, just before the kickoff of the next tourist season for Thessaloniki, Chalkidiki and all the other areas served by Makedonia Airport.

As stated in the decision, a “realistic” completion date of the project would be June 15, 2019, based on the volume and nature of the remaining works. However there must be a step-up of the current pace of the construction, given that the project is co-funded by the NSRF, with a binding date of delivery (in March 2019), as well as the commitment of the Greek State to the new management of the airport, Fraport Greece, for the delivery of an operational runway as soon as possible. 

Therefore, the contractor (AKTOR – ATHINA) replied that, if the construction tempo is accelerated with extended hours, the introduction of a second (night) shift and additional machinery, the abovementioned delivery date can be achieved, thirteen and a hald years after its start, on October 31, 2005.

For that reason, the project has been characterized as one of the “never-ending” works of the constructions industry due to its prolonged duration and its cost, which is estimated at over 300m euros. In addition to the main project, a parallel taxiway is also being extended. For the construction of the two corridors, a sea section, 1,064 meters long and 450 meters wide, is being filled with dirt. The budget for this project was 246m euros.

It is reminded that the upgrade and extension of runway 10-28 is an absolute prerequisite for enabling Makedonia Airport to accept transatlantic flights (the length of the corridor will be 3.4 km) and increase its overall flights capacity. It is also a major factor regarding the development of tourism for both the city of Thessaloniki and the Region of Central Macedonia. Last April another upgrade project, concerning the land section of runway 10-28, was completed and released to operation.

The Terminal

At the same time, Fraport Greece’s construction works for the development of a new terminal are in full swing. The new building is expected to be completed in 2020 and be connected to the existing terminal of Makedonia Airport, which will then receive an extended facelift. In its final form, Makedonia Airport’s Terminal will be able to accept up to 8m passengers per year, while its facilities will similar to foreign major international airports, with a focus on catering, retail and entertainment.

Nikos Karagiannis-ypodomes.com