Skiathos Alexandros Papadiamantis Airport (IATA: JSI, ICAO: LGSK) is an airport on the island of Skiathos, Greece. Its 5,341-foot (1,628-meter) runway is able to accommodate aircraft up to the size of a Boeing 767-200. The runway is characterised as 'short and narrow'. Because of the uneven terrain on the island of Skiathos, Skiathos Airport was created by reclaiming land from the sea between Skiathos island and the smaller island of Lazareta (a former leper colony) effectively joining the two islands into one larger island, though it was however built on land already part of Skiathos. The place was chosen by a mechanic who lived in Volos. The airport is named after Alexandros Papadiamantis, a Greek novelist and native of the island.
Skiathos International Airport "Alexandros Papadiamantis" Κρατικός Αερολιμένας Σκιάθου «Αλέξανδρος Παπαδιαμάντης» | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | Greek State | ||||||||||
| Operator | Fraport AG/Copelouzos Group joint venture | ||||||||||
| Location | Skiathos, Greece | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 54 ft / 16 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 39°10′39″N 023°30′13.23″E / 39.17750°N 23.5036750°E | ||||||||||
| Website | jsi-airport.gr | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  JSI Location of airport in Greece | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2022) | |||||||||||
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Sources:Fraport Greece[1] | |||||||||||
The airport's short runway and its proximity to an adjacent public road have made it a popular destination for planespotters. It is often compared to Princess Juliana International Airport on Saint Maarten since both airports offer the public an ability to legally experience landing approaches and takeoffs at very close range.[2][3]
History edit
The airport first operated in 1972.[4]
A passenger terminal and a new control tower was constructed in 1988. In 2001 the terminal was closed down by a minor earthquake, and a new passenger terminal opened in 2002, to better accommodate the growing number of passengers.
From 2019, as part of the Fraport construction works the airport has 2 current terminals. Terminal 1 was reconstructed and is currently the Domestic Terminal, and Terminal 2 is for international arrivals.
Skiathos Airport has no jetways, meaning, prior to the 2016 work, passengers walked the short distance from the aircraft to the terminal building, now, a collection of buses drive passengers the short distance.
From 2014, there was extension to the runway and a new taxiway was introduced. The runway was extended by 110 metres on the north side of the airport. An extension was added to the taxiway, for an additional 4–5 parking stands. The airport has the capacity for only 6 additional parking stands. This opened in 2016.
The island has only a roundabout at the airport, and 1 set of traffic lights at the end of the runway.
In December 2015, the privatization of Skiathos Island National Airport and 13 other regional airports of Greece was finalised with the signing of the agreement between the Fraport AG/Copelouzos Group joint venture and the state privatization fund.[5] "We signed the deal today," the head of Greece's privatization agency HRADF, Stergios Pitsiorlas, told Reuters.[6] According to the agreement, the joint venture will operate the 14 airports (including Skiathos Island National Airport) for 40 years as of 11 April 2017.[7]
Future of Skiathos International Airport – Fraport Greece’s investment plan edit
On 22 March 2017, Fraport-Greece presented its master plan for the 14 Greek regional airports, including the Skiathos International Airport.[8]
Immediate actions that will be implemented at the airports as soon as Fraport Greece takes over operations, before the launch of the 2017 summer season include:
- General re-organisation and reworking of terminal
- Improving lighting, marking of airside areas
- Replacing sanitary facilities with newer systems
- Enhancing services and offering new free Internet connection (WiFi)
- Implementing works to improve fire safety in all the areas of the airports
The following summarizes the enhancement changes that will be implemented for Skiathos International Airport under Fraport Greece's investment plan by 2021:
- Expansion and reorganisation of the terminal building, alongside general clean-up of the apron area
- Additional check-in desk for the current number (from 9 to 10)
- Additional departure gate, expanding the current number of three to four
- Addition of a brand-new security lane to the current one
Airlines and destinations edit
The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Skiathos Airport:
Traffic figures edit
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
The data taken from the official website of the airport.[31]
| Year | Passengers | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | International | Total | |
| 2009 |  16,470 | 218,601 | 235,071 |
| 2010 |  16,880 | 213,609 | 230,489 |
| 2011 | 20,473 | 226,185 | 246,658 |
| 2012 | 18,465 | 236,440 | 254,905 |
| 2013 | 25,216 | 240,557 | 265,773 |
| 2014 | 32,097 | 283,300 | 315,397 |
| 2015 | 34,560 | 318,523 | 353,083 |
| 2016 | 44,174 | 350,827 | 395,001 |
| 2017 | 43,740 | 380,366 | 424,106 |
| 2018 | 48,228 | 389,688 | 437,916 |
| 2019 | 55,535 | 390,684 | 446,219 |
| 2020 | 19,541 | 69,375 | 88,916 |
| 2021 | 34,666 | 171,341 | 206,007 |
| 2022 | 49,775 | 461,836 | 511,611 |
| 2023 | 58,821 | 494,023 | 552,844 |
| 2024(Apr) | 6.985 | 2.212 | 9.197 |
Traffic statistics by country (2022) edit
| Place | Country | Total pax |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United Kingdom | 192,305 |
| 2 |  Italy | 89,464 |
| 3 |  Greece | 49,775 |
| 4 |  Sweden | 28,440 |
| 5 |  Austria | 25,553 |
| 6 |  Germany | 25,409 |
| 7 |  Romania | 15,862 |
| 8 |  Netherlands | 13,676 |
| 9 |  Denmark | 12,647 |
| 10 |  Norway | 11,876 |
| 11 |  Serbia | 10,094 |
| 12 |  Cyprus | 10,087 |
| 13 |  France | 8,367 |
| 14 |  Switzerland | 5,797 |
| 15 |  Poland | 5,651 |
Ground transport edit
Skiathos Airport is located 4.5 km from the city of Skiathos and is accessible either from Skiathos ringroad or the coast road. The journey to and from the city centre takes about 10–15 minutes, depending on traffic. 24/7 metered taxi service is available outside the Skiathos Airport Terminal building.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "SKIATHOS AIRPORT "A.PAPADIAMANTIS"" (PDF).
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Skiathos Airport 2011 [The Film]" – via YouTube.
- ^ "Passenger jets skim over tourists' heads at Skiathos Island Airport in Greece". Stuff. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
- ^ "Skiathos Airport". Archived from the original on 10 April 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
- ^ "Greece signs privatization of 14 regional airports with Germany's Fraport". tornosnews.gr. 14 December 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
- ^ "Greece signs major privatisation deal with Germany's Fraport". uk.reuters.com. 14 December 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
- ^ "Fraport Greece Begins 40-Year Concession at 14 Greek Regional Airports". fraport-greece.com. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
- ^ "Fraport Greece’s Development Plan for the New Era at the Greek Regional Airports", fraport-greece.com
- ^ "Summer 2022: Springer Reisen flies with Austrian Airlines and Avanti Air". 15 February 2022.
- ^ "Charter: Springer offers Skiathos and Paros from Klagenfurt". February 2022.
- ^ "Eurowings / Eurowings Discover NS22 Short-Haul Network Adjustment - 12JUN22".
- ^ a b c "EasyJet to start serving Skiathos next summer".
- ^ "Vier neue Sommerziele für Edelweiss". 31 March 2021.
- ^ "Jet2 reveals four new routes from Edinburgh, its eighth-largest base". anna.aero. 8 January 2021.
- ^ "Flight". apollorejser.dk.[full citation needed]
- ^ a b "Flight". apollo.se.[full citation needed]
- ^ a b "Flight". apollo.no.[full citation needed]
- ^ "Ryanair".[full citation needed]
- ^ "Ryanair va zbura din București spre Skiathos și Malaga din iunie 2024". 5 December 2023.
- ^ "Szkiathosz szigetére indít járatot Budapestről a Ryanair". 5 December 2023.
- ^ "Ryanair Launching Two New Routes from Prague". 17 November 2022.
- ^ "Ryanai apre 16 nuove rotte a Roma. Baserà un altro aereo". 12 January 2023.
- ^ "Директни полети София – Скиатос". GuideGR.com. 6 December 2023.
- ^ "Flight". spies.dk.[full citation needed]
- ^ "Flight". Ving.no.[full citation needed]
- ^ "Flight". ving.se.[full citation needed]
- ^ "Transavia : 61 avions et 8 nouvelles lignes pour l'été 2022".
- ^ a b c d "Flight Timetable". tui.co.uk.
- ^ "Νέες πτήσεις της Wizz Air συνδέουν τη Σκιάθο απευθείας με την Ιταλία". 7 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Wizz Air amplia il network Italia-Grecia con tre nuove rotte per Skiathos". 9 March 2022.
- ^ "Skiathos Airport (JSI)".
- ^ "Traffic Report by Country" (PDF). Skiathos Airport "Alexandros Papadiamandis".
