Kavala International Airport "Alexander The Great" Κρατικός Αερολιμένας Καβάλας, "Μέγας Αλέξανδρος" | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Fraport AG/Copelouzos Group joint venture | ||||||||||
| Serves | Kavala | ||||||||||
| Location | Chrysoupoli | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 18 ft / 5 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 40°54′48″N 024°37′09″E / 40.91333°N 24.61917°E / 40.91333; 24.61917 | ||||||||||
| Website | kva-airport.gr | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2022) | |||||||||||
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| Sources: Fraport-Greece [1] | |||||||||||
Kavala International Airport "Alexander the Great" (Greek: Κρατικός Αερολιμένας Καβάλας «Μέγας Αλέξανδρος»,[2] Kratikós Aeroliménas Kaválas "Mégas Aléxandros") (IATA: KVA, ICAO: LGKV) is an airport located in the municipality of Nestos, in Greece.
History
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Kavala's first airport was located closer to Kavala, in the installations of the Greek Air Force, near the village of Amygdaleonas, where it began its operations in 1952 as Kavala National Airport. On 12 October 1981, a new airport opened near the town of Chrysoupoli, where it still operates. The relocation greatly improved the service to the nearby island of Thasos and the city of Xanthi, in addition to the continued service to the cities of Kavala and Drama.[citation needed]
The airport was initially used only for domestic flights, as the original name implies. In December 1987, by a joint decision of the Minister of Presidency and the Minister for Transport and Communications it was renamed to Kavala International Airport to be again renamed in January 1992 to Kavala International Airport "Megas Alexandros", by a decision of the Minister for Transport and Communications.
At the beginning of its operation at its new location, the building infrastructure of the airport included only a terminal building. The control tower, the fire station and the other installations were built later. A small extension to the terminal building was added in 1992. The runway had been built, with the same dimensions that it has today. In 1998, extensive works began for new building infrastructure and today the airport of Kavala is functioning as a single upgraded total (old and new installations together), including all modern facilities for service both to airlines and passengers, contributing to the growth of East Macedonia and Thrace.
In December 2015, the privatisation of Kavala 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.[3] "We signed the deal today," the head of Greece's privatisation agency HRADF, Stergios Pitsiorlas, told Reuters.[4] According to the agreement, the joint venture will operate the 14 airports (including Kavala International Airport) for 40 years as of 11 April 2017.
Fraport Greece's investment plan
On 22 March 2017, Fraport Greece presented its master plan for the 14 Greek regional airports, including the International Airport of Kavala.[5]
Immediate actions, to be implemented as soon as Fraport Greece takes over operations, 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 a new free Internet connection (WiFi)
- Implementing works to improve fire safety in all the areas of the airports
The following summarizes the enhancement changes that will start in October 2017 and will be implemented for Kavala International Airport, under Fraport Greece's investment plan, by 2021:
- Terminal expansion by 2,029 m2
- Remodeling the current terminal
- HBS inline screening
- Refurbishing and expanding the fire station
- Expanding the waste water treatment plant or connection to municipal service
- Reorganizing the airport apron area
- Refurbishing the airside pavement
- 20 percent increase in the number of check-in counters (from 8 to 10)
Airlines and destinations
The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Kavala Airport:
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Aegean Airlines | Athens[6] |
| Air Serbia | Seasonal charter: Belgrade[7] |
| Animawings | Seasonal: Bucharest–Otopeni (begins 01 June 2026)[8], Timișoara (begins 08 June 2026)[9] |
| Austrian Airlines | Seasonal: Vienna[10] |
| Condor | Seasonal: Frankfurt [11], Munich [12], Nuremberg [13] |
| Eurowings | Seasonal: Berlin (begins 12 July 2026),[14] Cologne/Bonn,[15] Düsseldorf,[16] Stuttgart |
| Smartwings | Seasonal charter: Brno,[17] Prague,[18] Warsaw-Chopin[19] |
| TUI Airways[20] | Seasonal: Birmingham,[21] London–Gatwick,[22] Manchester[23] |
Statistics
The data taken from the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) until 2016 and from 2017 onwards from the Fraport Greece website.
| Year | Passengers | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | International | Total | |
| 2024[24] |  63.702
|
 230.576
|
294.278
|
Traffic statistics by country (2024)
See also
- Transport in Greece
- Meridian Flight 3032, an Antonov An-12 that crashed while attempting an emergency landing at the airport, killing all 8 crew members
References
- ^ "KAVALA AIRPORT "M.ALEXANDROS"" (PDF).
- ^ "Κρατικός Αερολιμένας Καβάλας 'Μ. Αλέξανδρος' (ΚΑΚΒΑ)". Hellenic Civilian Aviation Authority. hcaa.gr. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
- ^ "Greece signs privatization of 14 regional airports with Germany's Fraport | TornosNews.gr".
- ^ "REFILE-UPDATE 1-Greece signs major privatisation deal with Germany's Fraport".
- ^ "Fraport Greece’s Development Plan for the New Era at the Greek Regional Airports" Archived 26 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine, fraport-greece.com
- ^ "Aegean Airlines / Olympic Air NW23 Domestic Operation Changes". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
- ^ "Air Serbia unveils fifth new route for 2025". 5 December 2024.
- ^ "Romanian market: An early bet for summer 2026 – 9 new direct connections to Greece".
- ^ "AnimaWings Launches Five New Direct Routes from Timișoara to Athens, Olbia, Kefalonia Thessaloniki and Kavala in 2026, Boosting Connectivity to Popular Destinations - Travel And Tour World". 21 November 2025.
- ^ "Austrian Airlines Adds Service to Kavala, Greece, for Summer 2022". GTP Headlines. 27 January 2022.
- ^ "Flugplan Sommer 2026" (PDF). Condor.
- ^ "Flugplan Sommer 2026" (PDF). Condor.
- ^ "Flugplan Sommer 2026" (PDF). Condor.
- ^ "Eurowings expands its route network at BER". 2 December 2025.
- ^ Liu, Jim (13 March 2024). "Eurowings NS24 Leased Smartwings 737-800 Operating Routes". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
- ^ "Dovolenka Thassos s odletom z Brna".
- ^ "Destinations and Airlines". 2 November 2024.
- ^ Liu, Jim (28 January 2025). "Smartwings Poland NS25 Warsaw Network Additions". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- ^ "Flight Timetable". tui.co.uk.
- ^ Liu, Jim (26 January 2023). "TUI Airways NS23 A320 Operations – 22JAN23". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ Liu, Jim (20 April 2022). "TUI Airways UK NS22 A320/321 Operations". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ Liu, Jim (26 January 2023). "TUI Airways NS23 A320 Operations – 22JAN23". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Traffic Report by Country - Kavala Airport "Megas Alexandros"" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 January 2025.
External links
- Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority: Our Airports: Kavala Airport, "Megas Alexandros"
- Greek Airport Guide: Kavala Airport, "Megas Alexandros"
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