Μake us preferred on Google Chios Airport will close for four months, from November 15, 2026, to March 16, 2027, to allow reconstruction and expansion work on its runway to continue, a decision that has sparked strong opposition among residents and local officials.
The shutdown means that all connections to and from the northeastern Aegean island will depend on ferry services during the winter. Local authorities and technical professionals have raised concerns about whether shipping routes can accommodate the tens of thousands of passengers who would otherwise travel by air.
The decision was confirmed at a broad meeting involving Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis, relevant government ministers and representatives of Chios.
Runway project remains 45% complete
The airport closure comes after years of delays to the runway project, which was originally scheduled for completion in August 2024.
The construction contract was signed in December 2021, with a 32-month completion deadline. The winning contractor submitted a bid 25% below the initial budget of €15.2 million, excluding value-added tax.
In the summer of 2024, the company requested a 30-month extension, citing complications caused by other projects taking place alongside its work. The ministry granted an extension of 28 months, moving the completion deadline to December 29, 2026.
Despite nearly six years of work or preparatory activity, the project is reportedly only 45% complete.
An additional contract worth €4 million has also been approved. The contractor had previously received a €700,000 bonus for completing the work on schedule.
Ferry capacity raises concerns
The four-month closure has raised questions about the island’s accessibility during the winter season.
According to official figures from Greece’s Civil Aviation Authority, approximately 90,000 passengers traveled through Chios Airport during the equivalent period last year. All of them will now have to rely on ferry connections.
Local technical professionals have also questioned both the necessity and the execution of the work.
Engineer Stelios Mendonis described the four-month shutdown as unprecedented, saying the original 2019 study had called for airport closures lasting only 15 to 20 days during each of two winter periods.
He also pointed to insufficient staffing at the construction site and what he described as a lack of daily supervision by the Civil Aviation Authority.
According to Mendonis, runway expansion work was halted prematurely, with crews returning to the existing runway. He warned that the airport could reopen after the four-month closure with a runway measuring just 1,300 meters, shorter than the original one.
Representatives of the contractor have also left open the possibility that the work may not be fully completed by March 15, with the runway potentially being made available for use by that date instead.
Local officials seek cancellation of closure notice
Local organizations and elected representatives are calling for the immediate withdrawal of the relevant NOTAM, the aviation notice announcing the airport closure, and the cancellation of the planned shutdown.
They argue that the construction site should first be properly organized and supplied with the necessary technical personnel.
Their proposal is to carry out the work, which they describe as a road-construction project, in half the time, avoiding the need to cut off the island’s air connections for four months.
