Crete Island Guide
Heraklion airport (HER), officially Nikos Kazantzakis International Airport, is the main gateway to Knossos, Heraklion's old town and the whole central and eastern half of Crete, sitting about 5 km from the city centre. This page covers who actually runs it, what the city bus into town costs, and a real discrepancy we found between two official pages on the airport line's operating hours, since printing one invented number was not an option. See getting to Crete for how it compares with flying into Chania instead, and Crete Island Guide for the rest of the island beyond the arrivals hall.
Quick answer The short version on Heraklion airport
Heraklion airport sits about 5 km from the city centre and is not part of Fraport Greece's concession list of 14 Greek airports, consistent with it remaining under direct Greek-state (YPA) operation rather than Chania's Fraport-run model. The city bus into town is run by Astiko KTEL Herakliou, a separate company from the intercity KTEL, pricing by zone: Zone A (the city core, about 5 km radius, which covers the airport) costs $1.46 (€1.30) pre-purchased or $2.58 (€2.30) on board. We could not confirm the exact numbered line serving the airport by name, and two official pages disagree on the terminus operating hours by roughly two hours, detailed below.
Key takeaways
- Zone A covers the airport at $1.46 (€1.30) pre-purchased, by our reading of the 5 km radius rule, though no page names the airport route specifically.
- Heading straight to Knossos from the airport is common; the Knossos and Heraklion guided day builds that exact routing for you.
- Confirm your first night's base before flying in. See where to stay for areas near Heraklion.
- If you are connecting onward to Agios Nikolaos or Malia, the Agios Nikolaos and Spinalonga day trip and the Rethymno, Chania and Lake Kournas day both start from the Heraklion area.
Who Runs Heraklion Airport
Heraklion's airport status is worth stating plainly because it is easy to assume both Cretan airports work the same way, and they do not.
Not Part of the Fraport Concession
Fraport Greece's own official airport-profile list names its 14 concession airports: Chania, Santorini, Rhodes, Mykonos, Kos, Corfu and others. Heraklion is not among them. That is a negative confirmation rather than a published statement of who does run it, but it is consistent with Heraklion remaining under direct Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (YPA) operation.
Named for Nikos Kazantzakis
The airport's full name, Nikos Kazantzakis International Airport, honours the Heraklion-born author of Zorba the Greek, who is buried on the Martinengo bastion of the city's Venetian walls, a detail covered on Heraklion.
A New Airport, Still Unconfirmed
A long-discussed Kastelli / New Heraklion Airport project has no official project page this guide could resolve in DNS this session, and ypa.gr's own project page was not reached either. Treat any construction-timeline claim for a replacement airport as unofficial until a government page actually states one.
fraport-greece.com/en/airport-profiles.html.
The City Bus Fare, by Zone
Astiko KTEL Herakliou, the municipal bus company, is a separate operation from the intercity KTEL network covered on getting around, and it prices by distance zone rather than a flat fare.
Fares
Figures from the company's own published fare table.
| Fare type | Zone A (city core) | Zone B (suburbs) |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-purchased single | $1.46 (€1.30) | $2.02 (€1.80) |
| On-board single | $2.58 (€2.30) | $3.14 (€2.80) |
| All-day pass | $5.61 (€5) | $5.61 (€5) |
| 24-hour pass | $6.74 (€6) | $6.74 (€6) |
| 3-day pass | $16.84 (€15) | $16.84 (€15) |
| 7-day pass | $33.70 (€30) | $33.70 (€30) |
Which Line Actually Serves the Airport
The airport sits within the roughly 5 km Zone A radius, so the Zone A fare should logically apply, but no page we read states this for the airport route by name. The company's contact page lists a dedicated phone line for its "Airport Terminus" at +30 2810 220795, which is the most reliable way to confirm the current route number and stop before you land.
astiko-irakleiou.gr official fare table.
The Hours Conflict: Two Official Pages Disagree
This is worth stating as a finding rather than smoothing over, because printing either number alone would be guessing which official source is right.
What Each Page Says
Astiko KTEL Herakliou's own contact page lists 05:30-21:00 as the hours for its Airport Terminus phone line. The company's separate current municipal-transport timetable PDF, covering lines 91 (Red), 92 (Blue) and 93 (Green), states 07:00-23:00 for the same service area. The two pages disagree by about 1.5 to 2 hours on each end of the day, and we could not resolve which one is current.
If your flight lands very early or very late, call the Airport Terminus line directly, +30 2810 220795, rather than trusting either printed page alone.
astiko-irakleiou.gr contact page and its October municipal timetable PDF.
What Most Visitors Do First
Heraklion airport sits closer to Knossos than to almost anywhere else on the island, which shapes most arrival-day plans.
Knossos Is the Default First Stop
Knossos sits south of Heraklion, a short run from both the airport and the city centre, and its $22.50 (€20) ticket is sold directly on this guide's own Knossos tickets page rather than compared against the official counter, since a tour card here sells the entry itself.
Renting a Car on Arrival
If a rental car is part of the plan, see crete car rental for the rules and logistics before you land, since Heraklion's airport-adjacent rental counters are the most common pickup point for a central or eastern Crete trip.
Tours That Start Near Heraklion Airport
These listings begin in or near Heraklion and cover the most common first-day and multi-day routes from the airport.
from $37.14
Knossos Palace & Heraklion Guided Tour
Knossos and Heraklion city with a guide, coach from the Agios Nikolaos and Elounda side.
Check Availability
from $213.84
From Heraklion/Crete: Santorini Island Guided Day Trip
The guided Santorini day from Heraklion by ferry and island coach, the most-reviewed version of the trip.
Check Availability
from $42.54
Day Trip to Agios Nikolaos and Spinalonga Island
A coach day from the Heraklion resorts to Agios Nikolaos and Spinalonga, the easy option for visitors staying on the north coast.
Check Availability
from $43.55
Rethimno, Chania, and Kournas Lake Day Trip
Rethymno, Chania and Lake Kournas in one coach day from the eastern resorts, the long-distance sampler of the west.
Check Availability
from $59.09
Samaria Gorge All-Inclusive (Ferry & Entry Fee)
Samaria Gorge with the park entry fee and the Agia Roumeli ferry already in the price, coach from the Chania area to Omalos and back from Sfakia.
Check AvailabilityPrices, ratings and details are the platform's own. dollar figures are the listed prices — the platform bills in your account's currency.
Photo: Florian Waßmann, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Bastique, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Plan the Rest of the Arrival
Three pages that pick up from Heraklion airport.
Chania airport
Fraport's own airport, for a trip based in the west instead.
Western alternative Check info & availabilityGetting around Crete
The intercity KTEL network that connects Heraklion onward to the rest of the island.
Island-wide Check info & availabilityKnossos
The most common first stop for visitors landing at Heraklion.
A short run from the airport Check info & availabilityHeraklion Airport Questions
Is Heraklion a good airport?
It is Crete's busiest airport and the main gateway to Knossos and the central and eastern half of the island, about 5 km from the city centre. It is not part of Fraport's concession network, unlike Chania's airport.
Which Greek island is served by Heraklion Airport?
Crete. Heraklion airport, officially Nikos Kazantzakis International Airport, serves the island's capital and the central and eastern regions, while Chania airport covers the west.
Why is flying to Crete so expensive?
This page does not track live airfare pricing. What is confirmed is structural: Crete has only two airports for an island of 624,408 residents plus heavy seasonal tourist demand, which concentrates flight capacity onto fewer routes than a mainland destination would have.
Which airport is better, Chania or Heraklion?
Neither is objectively better; pick the one closer to where you are basing. Heraklion suits Knossos, the capital and the east; Chania suits the old town, Balos and the west. See getting to Crete for the full comparison.
How do you get from Heraklion airport to the city centre?
By Astiko KTEL Herakliou city bus, Zone A fare $1.46 (€1.30) pre-purchased or $2.58 (€2.30) on board, though the exact route number is not stated by name on an official page. Call the Airport Terminus line, +30 2810 220795, to confirm.
What are Heraklion airport's operating hours?
The terminal itself was not independently confirmed for 24-hour operation this session. The city bus terminus hours carry a real conflict between two official pages: 05:30-21:00 on one, 07:00-23:00 on the other.
Heraklion Airport on Video
Heraklion Airport Walkthrough - Virtual Tour of Crete, Greece
A full walkthrough of the terminal.
Video: 4K World WalksHeraklion Airport: Every Question Answered
A practical Q&A-style airport overview.
Video: Zameer PactyanParis CDG to Heraklion HER, Crete: Full Flight Report
A real arrival flight into Heraklion, useful for picturing the approach.
Video: Razgriz Flight & SpottingWe may earn a commission if you book through one of our links, at no extra cost to you. Full affiliate disclosure