Gov't Aims to Have New Paros Airport Operational by 2015 Tourist Season

The government aims at opening the new airport on the Aegean island of Paros early in 2015 even if temporary structures need to be used, Infrastructure, Transport and Networks Minister Michalis Chryssochoidis said during a series of meetings he held on Friday wtih local government officials of two islands, including Syros.

Construction on the Paros airport, at the Mangano locale, began in 2012. The airport is expected to be completed by January 2015 and in full service by April 2015. It will have a 1,400-metre-long runway, work on which the minister inspected on Friday.

In addition, plans are under way to extend the runway of the airport on Syros, a project costing 5 million euros. "We will extend the existing runway by 140 metres [to a total of 1,200 metres];in other words to the extent allowed by the licences, the possibilities and the technical aspects available," the minister said, adding that "a tender for the project will be called, and we will soon have both a construction winner and funding from the new EU support framework" for the 2014-2020 programming period.