Greek airport to shut for four months for runway works

Chios Airport on Chios, Greece’s fifth-biggest island, will be closing down for four months.

The island has around 50,000 residents and is set to be shut off to visitors during the closure.

Greek island airport to shut for four months due to runway works

The closure is due to work that will extend and upgrade the runway ahead of next summer’s tourist season, according to the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority.

At present, the runway is 1,511 metres long, meaning wide-bodied aircraft cannot land there.

It handles smaller propeller planes or narrow-body aircraft.

Visitors, including Britons, must fly to Athens or Thessaloniki before taking a smaller connecting plane to Chios.

Some UK airports offer flight packages there, with connecting flights, such as Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh.

Once completed, the runway will measure 1,799m and accommodate much larger aircraft.

Emergency flights, including medical evacuations and search and rescue, will be permitted to land during the works.

But the plans face opposition.

President of the Chios chamber of commerce Pantelis Legatos said: "The early closure will seriously affect the economy and society of the island, especially during the holiday season (Christmas, New Year), when people have planned trips, family visits and medical appointments.

"Chios, as a border island 5 miles from Turkey, depends on the air connection with the capital for health, entertainment and freedom reasons."

When is Chios Airport going to close?

The original plan was to close the airport on January 15, months later than the current schedule for works.

Now, the closure is scheduled to take place from November 15 until March 15, 2027.

Have you visited Chios before? Let us know in the comments.