Skiathos International Airport 4.94

Skiathos Airport ‘Alexandros Papadiamantis’ is an airport on the island of Skiathos, Greece. Its 5,341-foot runway is able to accommodate aircraft up to the size of a Boeing 757-200. 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.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 due to the ability to experience low-altitude flyover landing approaches and takeoffs.HistoryThe airport first operated in 1972.A passenger terminal and a new control tower was constructed in the late 1980s. The new and the current passenger terminal which opened in 2002, to better accommodate the growing amount of passengers. Skiathos Airport has no jetways, meaning that you have to walk the short distance from the aircraft to the terminal building.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, which opened in summer 2014. An extension was added to the taxiway, for an additional 4–5 parking stands. Before the construction began, the airport had the capacity for only 2–3 additional parking stands. This opened in 2016In December 2015 the privatisation 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 privatisation fund. "We signed the deal today," the head of Greece's privatisation agency HRADF, Stergios Pitsiorlas, told Reuters. According to the agreement, the joint venture will operate the 14 airports (including Skiathos Island National Airport) for 40 years as of 11th April 2017.