Zakynthos International Airport 5.66

Zakynthos International Airport "Dionysios Solomos" is an airport in Zakynthos, Greece. The airport is located close to the town of Kalamaki. Planes are not permitted to land or depart from 10 PM to 5 AM. This is due to the endangered loggerhead turtles which lay their eggs on the beaches at night. The Greek authorities can and have permitted planes to take off or land at night, but this is very rare. The airport opened in 1972. The airport is 4.3 km from Zante and other seaside tourist destinations such as Lagana, Tsilivi and Kalamaki. The main approach into the airport is Runway 34, meaning aircraft have to fly over Lagana bay and make a 180-degree turn, before flying over sunbathing tourists on the busy Kalamaki beach.HistoryIn December 2015 the privatisation of Zakynthos International 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 Zakynthos International Airport) for 40 years from 11 April 2017.Future of the Airport - Fraport Greece’s investment planOn 22 March 2017, the Fraport-Greece presented its master plan for the 14 regional airports including the Zakynthos International Airport.Immediate actions that will be implemented at the airports as soon as Fraport Greece takes over operations before the launch of the summer season include: General clean-up Improving lighting, marking of airside areas. Upgrading sanitary facilities Enhancing services and offering new free Internet connection (WiFi) Implementing works to improve fire safety in all the areas of the airports