Ryanair complains about flight delays in Greece, figures for Chania Airport and others from Fraport Greece and Heraklion on the verge of collapse.

Ryanair complains about flight delays in Greece

Europe’s Delay Rankings in Air Traffic

Ryanair says Greece is one of the top European countries for flight delays. From early 2025 through mid-September, over 6,200 Ryanair flights in Greece ran late.

That’s more than 1.1 million passengers caught up in delays—pretty staggering, right?

For a sense of scale, here’s how other countries stack up in the same period:

Greece lands in the top five for delays, which really points to some ongoing problems in the air traffic management system—especially when things get busy.

Criticism Directed at the Ministry of Transport

Ryanair hasn’t held back, blasting the Greek Ministry of Transport for not managing or staffing air traffic control properly. The airline blames ministers, including Christos Dimas, for not stepping up to prevent these disruptions.

They’re especially upset about the lack of air traffic controllers. Ryanair says this shortage has led to avoidable delays for over a million passengers this year.

The airline wants passengers to demand better staffing and efficiency from the Ministry. Dara Brady, Ryanair’s Chief Marketing Officer, really hammered home that these delays didn’t have to happen.

He pointed out that families on holiday have been hit hardest, which just adds to the frustration. Ryanair’s even set up a platform called “Air Traffic Control Ruined Your Flight” to help passengers speak out and push for change.

Key points of Ryanair’s criticism:

• Poor management in Greece’s air traffic control
• Too few staff during peak travel
• Transport authorities not acting, despite constant delays
• Over 1 million passengers disrupted in 2025 alone

Source: Hania News

Chania Airport: 20% of Visitors Travel with Ryanair – Market Shares of Other Airlines

At Chania’s “Daskalogiannis” airport, Ryanair brings in about 20% of all arriving air passengers. That makes it the top low-cost airline at the airport and a major player in the region’s air traffic.

Other big names at Chania include both European mainstays and holiday operators. The airlines you’ll see most often are:

• SAS Scandinavian Airlines
• EasyJet
• TUI Group (TUI Airways UK, TUI fly Deutschland, TUI fly Belgium)
• Condor
• Jet2.com
• AEGEAN Group (AEGEAN, Olympic Air)
• Sunclass Airlines
• Transavia
• Jet Time
• Norwegian

These airlines, together with Ryanair, handle most of Chania’s air traffic. The mix of carriers covers both regular routes and seasonal charter flights, mostly serving travelers from northern and central Europe.

Visitor Origins and Flight Arrivals

Between April and July 2025, Chania airport saw about 8,548 flights from its top ten source countries. Here’s which countries sent the most flights:

The UK sends the most flights by far. Germany, Denmark, Norway, and Poland always make the top five, so those connections seem pretty solid year after year.

Belgium pops into the top 10 sometimes, depending on the season.

Airline Market Share Overview

Ryanair doesn’t just lead in passenger numbers—it’s also got the most aircraft movements at Chania, often flying under brands like Lauda Europe, Buzz, and Malta Air. That’s a lot of Ryanair jets on the tarmac.

TUI Group is another big player, especially when holiday season kicks in. EasyJet and SAS focus mainly on northern Europe routes, keeping the link strong between Chania and major cities up north.

AEGEAN Airlines and Olympic Air cover the Greek side, handling both domestic and some international flights. They’re a lifeline for locals and a handy option for tourists using Chania as a base to explore Crete.

Flight Volume and Seasonal Patterns

Flight arrivals and passenger numbers really swing with the seasons. During peak months, Ryanair and TUI ramp up flights to meet the tourist rush.

EasyJet and Jet2.com also add more flights in summer. The same countries and airlines keep showing up at the top, which tells me the market’s settled into a groove.

There’s a good mix of budget airlines and traditional carriers, so visitors get plenty of options. For more details, you can check the full report on Chania’s airline visitor shares.

Fraport Reports Record August: Winners and Losers Across Greece’s Airports

Fraport Greece’s 14 regional airports had a busy August, with over 6.78 million travelers coming through. That’s a 4% jump over last year.

But not all airports saw the same kind of growth. Some really stood out—Kavala Airport nearly doubled its domestic traffic, up 94.1%, which pushed total passengers up 11.2%.

Thessaloniki also saw strong growth, up 9% and handling more than 910,000 travelers. Other airports that did well included:

• Chania: +6.7%
• Corfu: +5.3%
• Skiathos: +9.6%
• Mytilene: +7.6%

This pattern suggests more visitors are checking out regional airports and smaller islands, maybe looking for something different than the usual tourist hubs.

On the flip side, Mykonos and Santorini lost ground. Santorini’s passenger numbers dropped 9.4% in August—the biggest fall among these airports.

Mykonos saw a 7% dip in domestic traffic and barely broke even overall, with just a 0.2% rise. Overcrowding and rising costs seem to be pushing people to other destinations.

From January to August, total traffic for all 14 airports climbed 2.6% to 26.3 million. But Santorini’s traffic fell 16%, losing more than 329,000 passengers.

Mykonos had a smaller drop, just 0.9%. When you split the airports into two clusters, the picture gets clearer.

Cluster A—Thessaloniki, Crete, and the Ionian Islands—grew by 5.5%. These places have more room for growth and don’t get as crowded.

Cluster B, which covers the Cyclades and Dodecanese (including Mykonos and Santorini), slipped by 1%—mostly because of those two islands struggling.

It’s a tricky balance: growing tourism while keeping popular spots from getting overwhelmed. Meanwhile, other destinations are stepping up to handle more visitors.

For more on these trends, the latest report is up at Fraport Reports Record August.

The Fragile State of Heraklion Airport

Every summer, Heraklion International Airport “Nikos Kazantzakis” turns into Greece’s second busiest entry point. The place buzzes with travelers itching to hit Crete’s beaches, villages, and all those ancient sites.

For most visitors, this is their first and last glimpse of the island. It’s a gateway, but not always a glamorous one.

The airport takes a beating in reviews. People often call out its poor conditions, and it’s landed near the bottom of airport rankings in Europe—sometimes even worldwide.

Complaints come in droves: not enough parking, jam-packed waiting areas, and facilities that feel stuck in another decade.

Over 26,000 reviews pile up, and they’re not shy about the issues. Cleanliness? Lacking. Restrooms? Outdated and often not up to scratch.

Even UK media outlets have picked up the story, poking around to see if the airport’s reputation matches reality. Spoiler: it often does.

The airport sits in limbo, really, waiting for its replacement at Kasteli to finally open. Until then, the current setup is just barely holding on.

Staff at Heraklion Airport work overtime to cope with the summer surge. Every year, the crowds swell and the pressure ramps up.

The infrastructure, though, tells a different story. The airport was built more than fifty years ago, and it’s starting to show its age.

Officially, the airport’s capacity covers its buildings, parking for planes, and air traffic control. Supposedly, it can manage about 10 arrivals and 12 departures an hour.

But when peak season hits, flights pile up way beyond those numbers. The result? Congestion everywhere, from the tarmac to the terminal.

More people and not enough room—it’s a recipe for frustration. Security lines snake on forever, and boarding feels like a marathon.

Seating is scarce, and the crowds don’t help. Passengers get cranky, and honestly, who can blame them?

Key challenges include:

• Lack of adequate parking for planes, causing delays
• Insufficient waiting areas for the increased passenger flow
• Ageing bathrooms and reduced cleanliness standards
• High pressure on air traffic control due to flight overload

Operators face a constant tug-of-war every summer. They juggle safety rules with the demand for quicker processing, but there’s only so much they can do without real investment.

The new airport at Kasteli should eventually ease the load. Unfortunately, delays mean the old airport has to keep limping along for now.

Heraklion Airport’s traffic actually topped 10 million passengers this year. That’s wild—and it’s putting even more pressure on the already stretched terminal.

The atmosphere can get pretty stressful, especially for families or anyone not used to chaotic airports. Long waits and a lack of creature comforts can really sour the experience, which matters a lot in a place that relies so heavily on tourism.

Passenger experience factors include:

It’s easy to point fingers, but the staff really do their best. Every summer, they keep things moving as well as they can, even if most travelers don’t notice.

Heraklion Airport’s struggles make it clear: better planning and investment are overdue. Upgrades and more space could solve a lot of headaches and maybe even make flying in and out of Crete enjoyable again.

Until the full replacement finally arrives, the airport has to walk a fine line. Heavy tourist seasons, high expectations, and not enough resources—somehow, it’s still the lifeline connecting Crete to the rest of Europe and beyond.

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