Fourteen regional airports in Greece are expected to pass to private “hands” within the following months, according to plans of the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF).  According to the “Greek Reporter”, potential investors will be handing their binding offers to the HRADF, as of September 30, while the procedure should take less than a month, although candidates demanded a time extension so that can prepare their offers sufficiently. Among the regional airports to be handed to private management are those of Thessaloniki, Chania, Corfu, Zakynthos, Kefalonia, Preveza and Kavala, with an option for Alexandroupolis, Araxos, Kalamata and Nea Aghialos. Also, the airports of Rhodes, Kos, Skiathos, Mykonos, Santorini, Samos and Mytilene, with an option for Karpathos and Lemnos.
The competition does not include however the “Nikos Kazantzakis” airport at Heraklion, Crete, which was excluded because of a contract for building a new international airport in Kastelli instead of improving the existing one.