Rhodes International Airport

Rhodes International Airport "Diagoras" (Greek: Διεθνής Αερολιμένας Ρόδου "Διαγόρας"), or Diagoras International Airport (IATA: RHO, ICAO: LGRP), is located on the West side of the island of Rhodes in Greece. The facility is located just north of the village Paradeisi, about 14 km southwest of the capital city, Rhodes. Rhodes International Airport was the fourth busiest airport in Greece as of 2019, with 5,542,567 passengers utilizing the airport.^[2]

Rhodes International Airport "Diagoras" Διεθνής Αερολιμένας Ρόδος "Διαγόρας"
IATA: RHO ICAO: LGRP
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Greek state
Operator	Fraport Greece
Serves	Rhodes
Location	Paradeisi
Hub for	Olympic Air
Focus city for	Aegean Airlines
Elevation AMSL	6 m / 19 ft
Coordinates	36°24′19.51″N 28°05′10.29″E
Website	rho-airport.gr
Map
RHO Location of airport in Greece
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 06/24 3,305 10,844 Asphalt
Statistics (2024)
Passengers 6,921,748 Passenger traffic change 12.7% Aircraft movements 46,714 Aircraft movements change 8.4%
Runway[1] Statistics[2]

History

Check-in at Rhodes Airport

Civil aviation on Rhodes started after the Second World War, on the location of the nearby military Rhodes Maritsa Airport.

This was the island's main airport until 1977, when the new Rhodes International Airport was opened. A new facility was needed, as the "old" Maritsa airport did not meet the needs for a modern civil airport.^{[citation needed]} The new "Diagoras" airport was built in 1977. It was determined that, in this location, it would meet the needs of the island better.^{[citation needed]}

Improvements have been made to the airport, like expansion of taxiways, platform and airport buildings. The most recent upgrade is a new passenger terminal, opened in 2005, to accommodate the growing number of charter flights and passengers. The airport's plants currently cover a total area of 60,000 m^2[3]

On 21 September 2015, Rhodes Airport was closed for 14 hours after a 'sinkhole' appeared in the runway. Flights were diverted to surrounding airports such as Kos and Heraklion as well as Athens and the runway was fixed and reopened the following day.^{[citation needed]}

In December 2015, the privatisation of Rhodes 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.^[4] "We signed the deal today," the head of Greece's privatisation agency HRADF, Stergios Pitsiorlas, told Reuters.^[5] According to the agreement, the joint venture will operate the 14 airports (including Rhodes International Airport) for 40 years as of autumn 2016.

Facilities

Terminal

Rhodes Airport terminal is actually two separate buildings with a joined corridor in the middle. Departures are served both in ground (check-ins, baggage checks) and first floor (passenger screening, gates, shops) while arrivals are served only in ground floor's southern corner where passport control, customs and baggage reclaim operate. Airport does not have air bridges so boarding and disembarking require the use of buses.

Both terminals are and will be under renovations for the next couple of years from Fraport, as a series of chronic problems need to be addressed. Toilets and air conditioning system were first to be fixed while more complicated works including new check in facilities that will eliminate double checks for baggage as well interior remodeling will proceed^[when?] gradually during low traffic winter months.

The airport also has a police station, a medical clinic, airline and handlers' offices, rent-a-car and tour operators' kiosks, VIP halls, recently^[when?] refurbished duty-free shops, cafes and restaurants.

Runway

The airport's single runway direction is 065/245 degrees (designated as 06/24), having a length of 3,305 meters and a width of 60 meters. There are two taxiways and four taxi links connecting the runway with the apron. The apron with the new pushback configuration can accommodate up to 20 ICAO reference category C or smaller airplanes, simultaneously. Three parking positions have MARS (Multiple Apron Ramp System) capability and can accommodate larger category D and E aircraft, such as the Airbus A330, A340 and A350 and the Boeing 747, 757, 767, 777 and 787. There is a small general aviation apron with three dedicated positions for small propelled or jet aircraft.

Future of the airport - Fraport Greece's investment plan

On 22 March 2017, the Fraport-Greece presented its master plan for the 14 regional airports including the International Airport of Rhodes.^[6]

The following summarizes the enhancement changes that started in November 2017 and will be implemented for Rhodes International Airport under Fraport Greece's investment plan: Immediate actions that were implemented at the airports as soon as Fraport Greece took over operations and before the launch of the 2017 Summer season included:

• 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
• Remodeling the current terminal
• Reorganizing the airport apron area
• New fire station
• 13 percent increase in the number of check-in counters (from 40 to 45)
• 13 percent increase in the number of departure gates (from 16 to 18)
• 71 percent in the number of security-check lanes (from 7 to 12)
• 25 percent increase in the number of baggage reclaim belts (from 4 to 5)

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Rhodes Airport: ^{[citation needed]}

Airlines	Destinations
Aegean Airlines	Athens,[7] Thessaloniki[8] Seasonal: Chania (begins 30 May 2025),[9] Heraklion,[10] Istanbul (begins 20 May 2025),[11] Santorini (begins 3 June 2025),[12] Tel Aviv, Tirana[13] Seasonal charter: Friedrichshafen,[14] Memmingen[15]
airBaltic	Seasonal: Riga,[16] Tallinn[17]
Air France	Seasonal: Paris–Charles de Gaulle[18]
Air Serbia	Seasonal: Belgrade[19]
Animawings	Seasonal: Bucharest–Otopeni[20]
Arkia	Seasonal: Tel Aviv[21]
Austrian Airlines	Seasonal: Vienna[22]
Braathens International Airways	Seasonal charter: Aalborg,[23] Gothenburg,[23] Helsinki,[23] Luleå,[23] Malmö,[23] Stockholm–Arlanda[23]
British Airways	Seasonal: London–Gatwick,[24][25] London–Heathrow[26][27]
Brussels Airlines	Seasonal: Brussels[28][29]
Chair Airlines	Seasonal: Zürich[30]
Condor	Seasonal: Berlin,[31] Düsseldorf,[citation needed] Frankfurt,[32] Hamburg,[32] Leipzig/Halle,[citation needed] Munich,[32] Nuremberg,[33] Stuttgart,[34] Vienna,[35] Zürich[36]
Corendon Airlines	Seasonal: Cologne/Bonn,[citation needed] Düsseldorf,[37] Hannover,[37] Nuremberg[citation needed]
Corendon Dutch Airlines	Seasonal: Amsterdam,[citation needed] Brussels,[38] Groningen[39]
Cyprus Airways	Seasonal: Larnaca[40]
Discover Airlines	Seasonal: Frankfurt,[41] Munich[42]
easyJet	Seasonal: Amsterdam,[43] Basel/Mulhouse,[44][45] Belfast–International,[46] Berlin,[43] Birmingham,[47] Bristol,[48] Edinburgh,[49][50] Geneva,[51] London–Gatwick,[52] London–Luton,[53] Manchester,[54][50] Milan–Malpensa,[55] Nantes (begins 25 June 2025),[56] Naples,[43] Paris–Orly[43]
Edelweiss Air	Seasonal: Zürich[57]
Enter Air	Seasonal charter: Katowice,[58][better source needed] Kraków[58][better source needed]
European Air Charter	Seasonal charter: Linz[citation needed]
Eurowings	Seasonal: Berlin,[59][60] Cologne/Bonn,[61] Düsseldorf,[62] Graz,[63][59] Hamburg,[64] Nuremberg,[65] Salzburg,[66] Stuttgart[67][68] Seasonal charter: Innsbruck[69][better source needed]
Finnair	Seasonal: Helsinki[70]
FLYYO	Seasonal charter: Tel Aviv[71]
Gulf Air	Seasonal: Bahrain[72]
Helvetic Airways	Seasonal: Bern,[73][74] Zürich[citation needed]
Israir Airlines	Seasonal: Tel Aviv[75]
ITA Airways	Seasonal: Milan–Linate,[76] Rome–Fiumicino[77]
Jet2.com	Seasonal: Belfast–International,[78] Birmingham,[79] Bournemouth,[80] Bristol,[81] East Midlands,[82] Edinburgh,[83] Glasgow,[84] Leeds/Bradford,[85] Liverpool,[86] London–Luton,[87] London–Stansted,[88] Manchester,[89] Newcastle upon Tyne[90]
Leav Aviation	Seasonal: Cologne/Bonn[91]
LOT Polish Airlines	Seasonal: Warsaw–Chopin[92]
Lufthansa	Seasonal: Munich[93]
Luxair	Seasonal: Luxembourg[94]
Marabu	Seasonal: Hamburg,[95] Leipzig/Halle,[96] Munich,[97] Nuremberg[98]
Neos	Seasonal: Bergamo,[99] Bologna,[100] Catania,[citation needed] Milan–Malpensa,[101] Rome–Fiumicino,[102] Verona[103][104]
Nordica	Seasonal charter: Tallinn[105]
Norwegian Air Shuttle	Seasonal: Copenhagen,[106][107] Oslo,[108] Stavanger,[109] Stockholm–Arlanda[110] Seasonal charter: Trondheim[111]
Olympic Air	Karpathos, Kasos, Kastellorizo,[112] Sitia[113] Seasonal: Heraklion[citation needed]
Pegasus Airlines	Seasonal: Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen[114]
Ryanair[115][116]	Seasonal: Bari,[117] Bergamo,[43] Berlin,[43] Birmingham,[118] Bologna,[43] Bournemouth (resumes 1 June 2025),[119] Budapest,[43] Catania,[117] Charleroi,[43] Cork,[120] Dublin,[118] East Midlands,[43] Edinburgh,[121] Kaunas,[43] Kraków,[122] London–Stansted,[123] Manchester,[124] Marseille,[125][126] Memmingen,[117] Naples,[43] Paphos,[43] Pisa,[43] Prague,[43] Rome–Ciampino,[43] Rome–Fiumicino,[119] Sofia,[127] Stockholm–Arlanda,[128] Thessaloniki,[117] Vienna,[129] Warsaw–Modlin,[43] Weeze[130]
Scandinavian Airlines	Seasonal: Copenhagen,[131] Oslo (begins 29 June 2025)[132] Seasonal charter: Gothenburg,[133] Luleå,[134] Stockholm–Arlanda,[133] Trondheim[135]
Sky Express	Astypalaia,[136] Athens,[137] Chios,[136] Heraklion, Kalymnos,[136] Karpathos,[138] Kos,[136] Lemnos,[136] Leros,[136] Mytilene,[136] Samos[136] Seasonal: Paris–Charles de Gaulle[139][better source needed] Seasonal charter: Belgrade (begins 16 June 2025),[140] Brasov (begins 9 June 2025),[141] Bratislava,[142] Cluj-Napoca,[143] Craiova,[144] Iasi (begins 1 June 2025),[141] Sibiu,[144] Timișoara,[143] Weeze[145]
SmartLynx Airlines	Seasonal charter: Münster/Osnabrück[146]
Smartwings	Seasonal: Bratislava,[147][148] Brno,[149] Katowice,[citation needed] Košice,[150] Ostrava,[151] Prague,[152] Warsaw–Chopin[citation needed] Seasonal charter: Budapest,[citation needed] České Budějovice,[153] Poznan (begins 30 May 2025),[154] Rzeszow[155]
Sunclass Airlines	Seasonal charter: Bergen,[156] Billund,[157] Borlänge,[158] Copenhagen,[157] Gothenburg,[158] Helsinki,[159] Karlstad,[158] Malmö,[158] Molde,[160][156] Norrköping,[158] Örebro,[158] Oslo,[156] Stavanger,[156] Stockholm–Arlanda,[158] Trondheim,[156] Växjö[158]
Sundair	Seasonal: Berlin,[citation needed] Bremen,[citation needed] Dresden,[citation needed] Lübeck[161][better source needed]
Sundor	Seasonal: Tel Aviv[162]
Swiss International Air Lines	Seasonal: Geneva[163]
Transavia	Seasonal: Amsterdam,[164] Eindhoven,[165] Lyon,[166] Nantes,[167] Paris–Orly[168]
TUI Airways	Seasonal: Birmingham,[citation needed] Bournemouth,[citation needed] Bristol,[citation needed] Cardiff,[citation needed] East Midlands,[citation needed] Exeter,[citation needed] Glasgow,[citation needed] London–Gatwick,[169] London–Luton,[citation needed] London–Stansted,[citation needed] Manchester,[170] Newcastle upon Tyne,[citation needed] Norwich[citation needed]
TUI fly Belgium	Seasonal: Brussels,[171] Liège,[172] Ostend/Bruges[173]
TUI fly Deutschland	Seasonal: Düsseldorf,[174] Frankfurt,[175] Hannover,[176] Munich,[177] Nuremberg,[citation needed] Stuttgart[178]
TUI fly Netherlands	Seasonal: Amsterdam,[179] Dublin (begins 14 May 2025),[180][181] Eindhoven,[182] Rotterdam[183]
TUI fly Nordic	Seasonal charter: Gothenburg,[184][better source needed] Norrköping,[citation needed] Stockholm–Arlanda[184][better source needed]
TUS Airways	Seasonal: Larnaca[185]
Volotea	Seasonal: Bari,[186] Lille,[187] Lyon,[188] Nantes,[189] Naples[190]
Wizz Air[191]	Seasonal: Budapest,[192] Rome–Fiumicino,[193] Tel Aviv (resumes 1 June 2025),[194] Warsaw–Chopin[195]

Traffic figures

Annual passenger traffic at RHO airport. See Wikidata query.

Figures are taken from the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)^[196] until 2016 and since 2017 from the official website of the airport.^[197]

Year Passengers Domestic International Total 1994 380,072 2,111,714 2,491,786 1995 419,701 1,924,922 2,344,623 1996 477,396 1,764,121 2,241,517 1997 559,768 1,955,527 2,515,295 1998 535,284 2,137,028 2,672,312 1999 638,389 2,653,129 3,291,518 2000 720,560 2,686,490 3,407,050 2001 682,469 2,745,706 3,428,175 2002 628,837 2,601,646 3,230,483 2003 689,315 2,476,755 3,166,070 2004 697,873 2,338,650 3,036,523 2005 750,476 2,457,038 3,207,514 2006 809,965 2,681,557 3,491,522 2007 839,326 2,786,636 3,625,962 2008 843,529 2,723,940 3,567,469 2009 826,677 2,643,434 3,470,111 2010 736,566 2,850,006 3,586,572 2011 676,463 3,471,923 4,148,386 2012 600,167 3,213,780 3,813,947 2013 626,594 3,573,465 4,200,059 2014 691,040 3,861,016 4,552,056 2015 793,025 3,785,998 4,579,023 2016 848,878 4,093,508 4,942,386 2017 868,459 4,432,764 5,301,223 2018 829,475 4,738,273 5,567,748 2019 803,996 4,738,571 5,542,567 2020 352,985 1,198,138 1,551,123 2021 516,927 2,849,687 3,366,614 2022 708,866 5,148,170 5,857,036 2023 850,925 5,291,888 6,142,813 2024 906,241 6,015,507 6,921,748 2025(Mar) 176,419 20,368 196,787

Traffic statistics by country (2023)

Traffic by country at Rhodes International Airport – 2023^[198]

Place	Country	Total pax
1	United Kingdom	1.341.929
2	Germany	937.844
3	Greece	850.925
4	Poland	377.614
5	Israel	277.576
6	Sweden	261.116
7	Netherlands	210.610
8	Czech Republic	193.329
9	France	192.540
10	Finland	191.330
11	Italy	187.218
12	Denmark	183.207
13	Austria	168.192
14	Belgium	160.750
15	Norway	157.280

See also

• List of the busiest airports in Greece
• Transport in Greece