How a military airfield became a gateway to western Crete
In short: Chania International Airport serves as a vital link for tourists, but its history is deeply intertwined with military utility. Once operating out of Maleme, the airport transitioned through various locations and ownership models to become the sixth-busiest aviation hub in Greece today.
Located on the Akrotiri peninsula near Souda Bay, Chania International Airport (IATA: CHQ) serves the city of Chania, situated 14 kilometres away. While it is now a major gateway for tourists, its current function as a joint civil–military airport was not always the standard for the region. Until 1959, civil aviation in western Crete was centered at Maleme, an airport that had been in use since the end of the Second World War.
The shift to the current location began in 1959 when civil flight activity was transferred to the military airport at Souda. The airport's role expanded further in 1974 when it began handling international flights. To manage increasing demand, a new terminal was completed in 1996, covering 14,650 square metres and providing six aircraft stands. This facility has a design capacity to handle 1.35 million passengers per year.
The airport's identity is tied to history; it was officially named Ioannis Daskalogiannis in 2000, after the 18th-century Cretan rebel who fought against Ottoman rule. In recent years, the airport has undergone significant modernization and privatization. In December 2015, a joint venture between Fraport AG and the Copelouzos Group signed an agreement to operate 14 Greek regional airports, including Chania, for 40 years starting 11 April 2017. This transition has seen massive infrastructure upgrades, such as the 2018 expansion of duty-free space and the implementation of new aircraft layouts to double parking capacity.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Chania International Airport
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