New routes for budget airlines and new airports being developed are talked about all of the time, especially by agents wanting to 'hype-up' an area that they happen to be promoting. What does Richard Brady Managing Director of Olive Tree think about all this talk?

Brady holds a generally sceptical view of stories about new airports or new airline routes. “I wish I had a pound for every time that I have been told that a low-cost carrier was planning to route flights to a certain airport” he said “Generally this kind of rumour is spread by developers or estate agents and the rumour gathers momentum the more it is repeated. It still doesn’t make it true though!”

In Crete there are two major airports at Chania and Heraklion. A third, ‘Sitia Airport’ is located in the region of Bona in the Municipality of Sitia. A distance of 1 km from the centre of Sitia itself.

The first plane landed at Sitia on 7 June 1984 and later that month the airport was fully opened. In 1993 there was development at the airport in the shape of a new terminal building and in June 2003 a new runway. Plans are in place for further development and construction is currently under way. In addition to the airport development, there are planned improvements to road links to the airport.

Olympic Airways uses Sitia airport and has all-year-round flights to Athens several times a week. An extension of the runway to service direct international flights is already complete, with a new, larger terminal also set for completion.

The Olive Tree team visited the airport in May 2007 and again in Feb 2008 to check out progress of the development and discussed the timescales with airport workers. This was important to Olive Tree, as they have sold almost 100 properties in South East Crete over the past couple of years. Part of the reason that clients have bought is due to the property growth in the region, helped by the development of tourism due to the airport’s growth.

“We have been aware of some of the airports plans for almost three years, although talks have been going on for much longer” Brady said “With massive projects of this size and with the political implications of airport growth, it isn’t possible to be certain of what will happen, or by when. It is however extremely positive for investors that work has been carried out and more development is planned”.

Until charter flights into Sitia are announced, then Eastern Crete is best accessed via Heraklion airport for direct UK flights, or you can fly UK to Athens with any major airline (approx 3hr 30 min), then take an internal connection to Sitia (approx 1 hr).

The Olive Tree team update their website with images of the airport as they receive them and will be keen to see any news of direct UK flights to Sitia when it happens. “It’s difficult to say if or when direct flights will come into Sitia from the UK, however investors looking for property rises, shouldn’t mind if it’s Brits or other Europeans visiting, as long as they visit” Brady said.

Stelios Haji-Ioannou the Greek entrepreneur who started EasyJet says Greece needs more low-cost regional airports if it is to keep up the pace with other European hotspots.

Stelios said airport taxes in Greece are in many cases higher than the cost of the ticket itself, and therefore many travellers decide to by-pass Greek destinations for less expensive neighbouring countries.

He added: "Greece needs to attract low-cost companies to help boost tourism and to do this it needs to lower airport costs. Spain, Italy and France are full of low-cost airports attracting airlines and their customers. In Greece this hasn't happened because the airports are relatively expensive.”

For more information visit

http://www.greeceindex.com/travel-greece/greece-airports.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_airports_in_Greece