Heraklion International Airport (Nikos Kazantzakis Airport) HERLGIR

Heraklion International Airport “Nikos Kazantzakis” (HER) is Crete’s main air gateway and sits close to Heraklion city, about 5 km east of the centre. It is busy and highly seasonal: many summer European leisure and charter flights mix with year-round Greek domestic links, especially to Athens. It is not a major global alliance hub. SKY express and Bluebird Airways have a local hub/base presence, while Aegean is important at HER and gives Star Alliance connectivity via its wider network, but HER itself functions mainly as an origin-and-destination airport rather than a smooth transfer hub. The airport uses one passenger terminal for domestic, Schengen and non-Schengen flights, with passport control separating non-Schengen flows; there is no inter-terminal transfer. For the city, a taxi or pre-arranged ride is the simplest frequent-flyer option and usually takes about 10-20 minutes depending on traffic; public buses are practical with light bags and take roughly 15-25 minutes to central Heraklion or the main bus station. There is no airside hotel or notable sleep facility, so treat short self-connections cautiously, especially in summer.

Timezone: Europe/Athens

Airport lounges

Lounge access is reference info; commission never ranks.

Official info

Official site

https://www.hcaa.gov.gr/

General

+30 2810 397800

As of 2026-06-21 — confirm with the airport.

Airport facts

ICAO

LGIR

Elevation

115 ft

Scheduled service

Yes

Runways

2

Longest runway

8904 ft

Terminals

To the city

• City bus (blue Astiko bus) → Heraklion city centre · 15-20 min · Bus stop on main road opposite terminal; runs daily approx 06:00-23:00, roughly every 15-20 min; fare ~€1.20 (info only). No metro/train serves the airport.

Bus / coach

Blue city (Astiko) bus to Heraklion centre; long-distance KTEL coaches also serve Chania, Rethymno, Agios Nikolaos; fare ~€1.20 (info)

Taxi

24/7 taxi rank outside arrivals; ~10-15 min to city centre, typical fare ~€15-20 (info)

Train / metro

None — no rail or metro connection to the airport

Rideshare

No ride-hailing (Uber/Bolt operate only as licensed-taxi hailing in Greece); use the taxi rank or pre-booked transfers

Airport services

Cities served

Hotels near the airport