Airfields urgently needed for booming private jet traffic
Booming private jet arrivals in Greece may attest to the country’s attractiveness as a travel destination to the wealthy, but is stretching Greek airports’ capacities to the limit and sometimes frustrating travelers.
Government officials have started talks with the Ministry of Defense to find facilities at underused or abandoned military airstrips to accommodate the extra flow. During the first seven months of 2022, more than 16,000 private jets landed in Greece, 40% more than the last pre-Covid pandemic year of 2019.
Recently, the pilot of Egyptian conglomerate owner Shafik Gabr complained to the Greek government that the civilian island airport where he had arrived would not let him leave the plane for more than five days, due to lack of space.
