Flying to Crete

General Information

With Heraklion’s Nikos Kazantzakis Airport, Crete has the country’s second-busiest hub in terms of traffic, handling over 6 million passengers per year (6.092 million in 2014). It is also the base for two Greek airlines: Minoan Air and Sky Express, which specialise in domestic flights. However, as is often the case with summer destinations, traffic is highly uneven and concentrated during holiday periods, with almost nothing the rest of the year—except for flights to Athens and Thessaloniki, which serve as transit points for international arrivals.

In addition to Heraklion, Crete has another airport with similar characteristics, located in Chania (on the island’s west side). This airport handles 2.5 million passengers annually (2.458 million in 2014), with flights that are also largely seasonal. It is the country’s fifth-largest airport. For reference, the small Sitia Airport also exists, serving just one or two charter routes and a few regular flights to other parts of Greece.

Types of Flights

Charters, Scheduled, and Low-Cost Flights

Unsurprisingly, given the island’s intense summer tourism, charters and other seasonal flights make up the vast majority of traffic, along with—more recently—the usual range of low-cost airlines operating in the region.

Promotions and Special Offers

As with any charter or low-cost tourist destination, promotions and special offers are frequent and regular in Crete. Check with airlines or travel agencies, as some deals may include additional services alongside airfare.

From France

From Paris

From Other Regions

Choosing the Best Option

Beyond prioritising direct flights when available, the best way to find the lowest prices is to avoid peak travel dates. It’s also worth hunting for promotions, which are plentiful for this destination. Since not all seasonal flights appear on search engines, it may be useful to check the websites or offers of specialised travel agencies. The same goes for low-cost tickets, which should be checked directly with the airlines.

Finally, since Crete is a highly tourist-driven destination, many agencies offer "all-inclusive" packages (flight + hotel). It’s worth keeping an eye on these, especially during promotions, as they can sometimes be more cost-effective—even to the point where the combined price of flight and hotel is nearly the same as a standalone flight.

From the Rest of Europe (and Beyond)

Almost all of Europe offers seasonal flights of all kinds to Heraklion and/or Chania. In short, there’s no real difficulty in finding a direct flight to Crete during the season, no matter where you’re based in Europe.

From Elsewhere

While Crete is a major tourist destination, its reach is primarily European. The only notable direct flights outside Europe are to Israel.

From the Rest of Greece

Aegean Airlines, Astra Airlines, Ellinair, Minoan Air, Olympic Air, and Sky Express are the Greek airlines that operate routes between Crete and primarily mainland Greece (Athens, Thessaloniki, etc.), as well as a few other Aegean islands. Overall, these connections are reliable, frequent, and mostly year-round.

Heraklion: Athens (Aegean + Sky), Chios (Sky), Kalamata (Aegean, seasonal), Karpathos (Sky, seasonal), Kos (Sky + Minoan, seasonal), Mytilene (Sky + Minoan, seasonal), Rhodes (Sky + Aegean and Minoan, seasonal), Thessaloniki (Aegean + Astra Airlines + Ellinair), Volos (Sky, seasonal).

Chania: Athens (Aegean/Olympic + Ryanair), Thessaloniki (Aegean + Astra Airlines + Ryanair).

Sitia: Alexandroupoli (Sky), Athens (Astra Airlines), Karpathos (Olympic Air), Kasos (Olympic Air), Lefkada (Sky), Rhodes (Olympic Air).