Skiathos International Airport

Skiathos Alexandros Papadiamantis Airport (IATA: JSI, ICAO: LGSK) is an airport on the island of Skiathos, Greece. Its 5,341-foot (1,628-meter) runway is able to accommodate aircraft up to the size of a Boeing 767-200. The runway is characterised as 'short and narrow'. Because of the uneven terrain on the island of Skiathos, Skiathos Airport was created by reclaiming land from the sea between Skiathos island and the smaller island of Lazareta (a former leper colony) effectively joining the two islands into one larger island, though it was built on land already part of Skiathos. The place was chosen by a mechanic who lived in Volos. The airport is named after Alexandros Papadiamantis, a Greek novelist and native of the island.

Skiathos International Airport "Alexandros Papadiamantis" Κρατικός Αερολιμένας Σκιάθου «Αλέξανδρος Παπαδιαμάντης»
IATA: JSI ICAO: LGSK
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Greek State
Operator	Fraport AG/Copelouzos Group joint venture
Location	Skiathos, Greece
Elevation AMSL	54 ft / 16 m
Coordinates	39°10′39″N 023°30′13.23″E
Website	jsi-airport.gr
Map
JSI Location of airport in Greece
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 01/19 5,341 1,628 Asphalt
Statistics (2022)
Passengers 511,611 Passenger traffic change 148.3% Aircraft movements 4,843 Aircraft movements change 63.0%
Sources:Fraport Greece[1]

The airport's short runway and its proximity to an adjacent public road have made it a popular destination for planespotters. It is often compared to Princess Juliana International Airport on Saint Maarten since both airports offer the public an ability to legally experience landing approaches and takeoffs at very close range.^[2][3]

History

The airport first operated in 1972.^[4]

A passenger terminal and a new control tower was constructed in 1988. In 2001 the terminal was closed down by a minor earthquake, and a new passenger terminal opened in 2002, to better accommodate the growing number of passengers.

From 2019, as part of the Fraport construction works the airport has 2 current terminals. Terminal 1 was reconstructed and is currently the Domestic Terminal, and Terminal 2 is for international arrivals.

Skiathos Airport has no jetways, meaning, prior to the 2016 work, passengers walked the short distance from the aircraft to the terminal building. Now, buses drive passengers the short distance.

From 2014, there was extension to the runway and a new taxiway was introduced. The runway was extended by 110 metres on the north side of the airport. An extension was added to the taxiway, for an additional 4–5 parking stands. The airport has the capacity for only 6 additional parking stands. This opened in 2016.

The island's only roundabout is at the airport, and its only set of traffic lights is at the southern end of the runway in an attempt to prevent jet blast accodents.

In December 2015, the privatization of Skiathos Island National 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 privatization fund.^[5] "We signed the deal today," the head of Greece's privatization agency HRADF, Stergios Pitsiorlas, told Reuters.^[6] According to the agreement, the joint venture will operate the 14 airports (including Skiathos Island National Airport) for 40 years as of 11 April 2017.^[7]

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Skiathos Airport:

Airlines	Destinations
Aegean Airlines	Seasonal: Athens
Air Serbia	Seasonal charter: Belgrade[8]
Avanti Air	Seasonal charter: Graz,[9] Klagenfurt[10]
Austrian Airlines	Seasonal: Vienna
British Airways	Seasonal: London–City[11]
Condor	Seasonal: Munich
Cyprus Airways	Seasonal: Larnaca
Discover Airlines	Seasonal: Frankfurt[12]
easyJet	Seasonal: Bristol,[13] London–Gatwick,[13] Manchester,[13] Milan–Malpensa, Naples
Edelweiss Air	Seasonal: Zurich[14]
Jet2.com	Seasonal: Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands,[15] Leeds/Bradford, London–Stansted, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne
Neos	Seasonal: Milan–Malpensa, Verona
Olympic Air	Athens
Scandinavian Airlines	Seasonal charter: Copenhagen,[16] Gothenburg,[17] Oslo,[18] Stavanger,[18] Stockholm–Arlanda[17]
Ryanair	Seasonal: Bari,[19] Bergamo,[20][21] Bucharest–Otopeni,[22] Budapest,[23] Pisa, Prague,[24] Rome–Fiumicino,[25] Sofia,[26] Vienna[27]
Sky Express	Athens
Smartwings	Seasonal charter: Prague
Sunclass Airlines	Seasonal charter: Copenhagen,[28] Oslo,[29] Stockholm–Arlanda[30]
Transavia	Seasonal: Paris–Orly,[31] Amsterdam
TUI Airways[32]	Seasonal: Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands,[32] London–Gatwick,[32] Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne[32]
TUI fly Netherlands	Seasonal: Amsterdam
Volotea	Seasonal: Bari, Naples, Venice
Wizz Air	Seasonal: Milan–Malpensa,[33] Naples,[34] Rome–Fiumicino[34]

Traffic figures

Annual passenger traffic at JSI airport. See Wikidata query.

The data taken from the official website of the airport.^[35]

Year	Passengers
	Domestic	International	Total
2009	16,470	218,601	235,071
2010	16,880	213,609	230,489
2011	20,473	226,185	246,658
2012	18,465	236,440	254,905
2013	25,216	240,557	265,773
2014	32,097	283,300	315,397
2015	34,560	318,523	353,083
2016	44,174	350,827	395,001
2017	43,740	380,366	424,106
2018	48,228	389,688	437,916
2019	55,535	390,684	446,219
2020	19,541	69,375	88,916
2021	34,666	171,341	206,007
2022	49,775	461,836	511,611
2023	58,821	494,023	552,844
2024(Nov)	57.156	542.411	599.567

Traffic statistics by country (2022)

Traffic by country at Skiathos International Airport – 2022

Place	Country	Total pax
1	United Kingdom	192,305
2	Italy	89,464
3	Greece	49,775
4	Sweden	28,440
5	Austria	25,553
6	Germany	25,409
7	Romania	15,862
8	Netherlands	13,676
9	Denmark	12,647
10	Norway	11,876
11	Serbia	10,094
12	Cyprus	10,087
13	France	8,367
14	Switzerland	5,797
15	Poland	5,651

^[36]

Ground transport

Skiathos Airport is located 4.5 km from the city of Skiathos and is accessible either from Skiathos ringroad or the coast road. The journey to and from the city centre takes about 10–15 minutes, depending on traffic. 24/7 metered taxi service is available outside the Skiathos Airport Terminal building.

See also

• List of airports in Greece

References

1. "SKIATHOS AIRPORT "A.PAPADIAMANTIS"" (PDF).
2. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Skiathos Airport 2011 [The Film]". 6 April 2012 – via YouTube.
3. "Passenger jets skim over tourists' heads at Skiathos Island Airport in Greece". Stuff. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
4. "Skiathos Airport". Archived from the original on 10 April 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
5. "Greece signs privatization of 14 regional airports with Germany's Fraport". tornosnews.gr. 14 December 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
6. "Greece signs major privatisation deal with Germany's Fraport". uk.reuters.com. 14 December 2015. Archived from the original on 24 December 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
7. "Fraport Greece Begins 40-Year Concession at 14 Greek Regional Airports". fraport-greece.com. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
8. https://www.exyuaviation.com/2023/06/air-serbia-to-grow-charter-traffic-by-15.html
9. "Summer 2022: Springer Reisen flies with Austrian Airlines and Avanti Air". 15 February 2022.
10. "Charter: Springer offers Skiathos and Paros from Klagenfurt". February 2022.
11. "BA CityFlyer NS23 Network Adjustment – 25DEC22". Aeroroutes.com. Aeroroutes. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
12. "Eurowings / Eurowings Discover NS22 Short-Haul Network Adjustment - 12JUN22".
13. "EasyJet to start serving Skiathos next summer".
14. "Vier neue Sommerziele für Edelweiss". 31 March 2021.
15. "Jet2 reveals four new routes from Edinburgh, its eighth-largest base". anna.aero. 8 January 2021.
16. "Flight". apollorejser.dk.^{[full citation needed]}
17. "Flight". apollo.se.^{[full citation needed]}
18. "Flight". apollo.no.^{[full citation needed]}
19. "Ryanair NS23 Network Additions Summary – 26MAR23". Aeroroutes.
20. "Ryanair".^{[full citation needed]}
21. "Ryanair NS24 Network Additions Summary – 14JUL24".
22. "Ryanair va zbura din București spre Skiathos și Malaga din iunie 2024". 5 December 2023.
23. "Szkiathosz szigetére indít járatot Budapestről a Ryanair". 5 December 2023.
24. "Ryanair Launching Two New Routes from Prague". 17 November 2022.
25. "Ryanai apre 16 nuove rotte a Roma. Baserà un altro aereo". 12 January 2023.
26. "Директни полети София – Скиатос". GuideGR.com. 6 December 2023.
27. "Ryanair NS23 A320 Network Additions – 05FEB23". Aeroroutes.
28. "Flight". spies.dk.^{[full citation needed]}
29. "Flight". Ving.no.^{[full citation needed]}
30. "Flight". ving.se.^{[full citation needed]}
31. "Transavia : 61 avions et 8 nouvelles lignes pour l'été 2022".
32. "Flight Timetable". tui.co.uk.
33. "Νέες πτήσεις της Wizz Air συνδέουν τη Σκιάθο απευθείας με την Ιταλία". 7 April 2022.
34. "Wizz Air amplia il network Italia-Grecia con tre nuove rotte per Skiathos". 9 March 2022.
35. "Skiathos Airport (JSI)".
36. "Traffic Report by Country" (PDF). Skiathos Airport "Alexandros Papadiamandis".