Kalamata International Airport

Kalamata International Airport (Greek: Κρατικός Αερολιμένας Καλαμάτας) (IATA: KLX, ICAO: LGKL) "Captain Vassilis Constantakopoulos" is an airport in the city of Kalamata, Greece. It mainly receives flights during the summer. In March 2013, Aegean Airlines opened a base in the airport.[3]

Kalamata International Airport
"Captain Vasilis Constantakopoulos"

Κρατικός Αερολιμένας Καλαμάτας

«Καπετάν Βασίλης Κωνσταντακόπουλος»
Summary
Airport typePublic / Military
OwnerGreek state
OperatorHCAA
LocationKalamata, Messinia, Greece
Focus city for
Elevation AMSL26 ft / 8 m
Coordinates37°04′06″N 22°01′32″E
Map
KLX
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
17R/35L 8,868 2,703 Asphalt
17L/35R 9,436 2,876 (now taxiway)
Statistics (2018)
Passengers278,961
Passenger traffic change 0.9%
Aircraft movements2,601
Aircraft movements change 23.2%
Runway[1] Statistics[2]

Overview

The airport is located between Kalamata and Messini on GR-82 (Pylos – Kalamata – Sparta) and west of the train tracks on the Pamisos River plain. The runway is about 2.7 km long and runs from north to south from the highway north to the plain. The terminal lies to the east and is accessed with GR-7/E55/E65 (Kalamata – Tripoli – Corinth).

There is a military base of the Hellenic Air Force and an air-training department to the west of the runway.[4] The air base uses the same runway as civilian aircraft.

History

Kalamata International Airport was opened in 1959. Charter flights began to operate out of the airport in 1986 and a new terminal was built in 1991. The same year Hellenic Civil Aviation took over as operator of the airport. In 2012 the airport was renamed after Vassilis C. Constantakopoulos.

Airlines and destinations
AirlinesDestinations
Aegean Airlines Thessaloniki
Seasonal: Copenhagen, Düsseldorf, Milan–Malpensa, Moscow–Domodedovo, Munich, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Stockholm–Arlanda
Seasonal charter: Katowice[5]
Austrian Airlines Seasonal: Vienna
Avanti Air Seasonal charter: Innsbruck[6]
British Airways Seasonal: London–Heathrow[7]
Condor Seasonal: Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich
easyJet Seasonal: London–Gatwick, Manchester
Edelweiss Air Seasonal: Zurich
Jet2.com Seasonal: Birmingham (begins 2 May 2021),[8] London–Stansted (begins 5 July 2020),[9] Manchester (begins 1 July 2020)[10]
LOT Polish Airlines Seasonal: Kraków (begins 8 July 2020),[11] Warsaw-Chopin (begins July 2020)[12]
Olympic Air Thessaloniki
Ryanair Seasonal: Bergamo, Gdańsk,[13] London–Stansted, Milan–Malpensa (begins 5 July 2020),[14] Vienna[15][16]
Swiss International Air Lines Seasonal: Geneva[17]
Transavia Seasonal: Amsterdam
Transavia France Seasonal: Paris–Orly[18]
TUI fly Belgium Seasonal: Lille, Nantes
Volotea Seasonal: Venice (begins 2 June 2021)[19]

Accidents and incidents
  • On 16 October 1971, an NAMC YS-11 turboprop regional airliner of Olympic Airways was hijacked. It had departed from Kalamata International Airport to Hellinikon International Airport. There was one hijacker, who demanded to be taken to Lebanon. All 64 passengers and crew survived after the aircraft was stormed and the hijacker arrested. The hijacking lasted less than a day.[20]
  • In November 2001, fourteen plane spotters (twelve British and two Dutch) were arrested by the police after being observed photographing aircraft at the air base.[21]

Ground Transport

The airport has been criticised for the lack of public transport.[22] The only way to reach the airport is by car, taxi or bus.[23] A stop on the adjacent train line to Messini and Kalamata is not operational.

See also

References
  1. LGKL/JEPPESEN KALAMATA, GREECE, Jeppesen aerodrome charts
  2. "KALAMATA AIRPORT "CAPTAIN VASSILIS CONSTANTAKOPOULOS"". ypa.gr. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  3. "Δελτία τύπου – About Aegean".
  4. "Greek Airfield Bombed". The Mercury. CLVIII (22, 686). Tasmania. 17 August 1943. p. 2. Retrieved 25 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. https://www.grecos.pl/rozklad-lotow
  6. https://www.innsbruck-airport.com/media/17251/Scheduled_Charter_summer_2019_E.pdf
  7. British Airways Inaugural London Flight Lands in Kalamata, By Gregory Pappas, May 6, 2016, The Pappas Post, ...British Airways inaugurated its new London to Kalamata non-stop service with the arrival of flight 644 from the airline's hub at Heathrow International Airport on Thursday, May 5, 2016. Numerous local officials were on hand to welcome the inaugural flight, which will run twice weekly service between London and the city in southern Greece...
  8. https://www.anna.aero/2020/03/26/jet2-announce-two-new-routes-from-birmingham-to-be-2-base/
  9. https://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/347948/jet2-expands-summer-2020-network-to-greece
  10. https://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/347948/jet2-expands-summer-2020-network-to-greece
  11. https://businessinsider.com.pl/firmy/wakacje-2020-lot-poleci-do-kurortow-w-grecji-hiszpanii-i-wloch/zz5f5ew
  12. https://businessinsider.com.pl/firmy/wakacje-2020-lot-poleci-do-kurortow-w-grecji-hiszpanii-i-wloch/zz5f5ew/
  13. "Ryanair Launches 14 New Routes To and From Greece for 2020". greece.greekreporter.com. 21 October 2019.
  14. "Ryanair will connect Milan Malpensa to Kalamata from next March". travelquotidiano.com. 16 October 2019.
  15. "Laudamotion outlines summer 2018 operations". routesonline.com. 16 March 2018.
  16. Liu, Jim. "Ryanair / Laudamotion S20 network consolidation as of 18JUN20". Routesonline. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  17. http://aviationtribune.com/airlines/europe/swiss-opens-new-seasonal-routes-departing-geneva/
  18. Liu, Jim (22 January 2020). "Transavia France S20 network expansion as of 17JAN20". routesonline.com.
  19. https://www.volotea.com/el/flight-offers/kratikos-aerolimenas-kalamatas/benetia/?departureDate=2020-06-24&returnDate=2020-08-26&adults=1&childs=0&infants=0&jorney=roundtrip
  20. "Hijacking description NAMC YS-11 registration unknown, Athens". Aviation Safety Network.
  21. "British plane-spotters face spying charges.(Home news)", The Times (London, England), NI Syndication Limited: 13, 12 November 2001, ISSN 0140-0460, ...Byline: Philip Pank TWELVE plane-spotters from Britain face possible imprisonment in Greece after they were arrested and charged with spying at a military airbase south of Athens...
  22. Kalamata International Airport - Kalamatas, Messinia, Greece - Airport, Landmark & historical place, Facebook, 2016 Review:...Not even close to being an international airport.Poor building and infrastructure. Poor transport. Only taxi transport. The local buses have an uknown timetable. No info desk, no bus stop except a sign sprayed on the road, no shade at 40 celsius. Poor is being kind to this excuse of an airport...
  23. , Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority - Our Airports - Kalamata Airport "Captain Vassilis Constantakopoulos"
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