Samos International Airport

Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos" (IATA: SMI, ICAO: LGSM) is an airport on Samos Island, Greece.

Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos"

Κρατικός Αερολιμένας Σάμου "Αρίσταρχος ο Σάμιος»

Public

Fraport AG/Copelouzos Group joint venture

Vathy

Samos Island, Greece

19 ft / 6 m

37°41′24″N 026°54′42″E / 37.69000°N 26.91167°E / 37.69000; 26.91167

smi-airport.gr

453,264

67.7%

5,700

23.2%

The airport is named after Aristarchos of Samos, an ancient astronomer and mathematician, and lies within 5 km from the nearby town of Pythagorio. The airport has a single short runway. The airport's surroundings leave little room for error or mistake on the behalf of the pilots – with nearby mountains and sea at the end of the short runway. In summer there are often strong Meltemi winds from the north, which further contribute to the difficulty of the landing.

There is one terminal building. There are five boarding gates, none of which have jet-bridges. Passenger facilities are split across two floors and include a duty-free shop and a small café.

History[edit]

The airport first operated in May 1976.^[4] In the late 1990s/early 2000s, the terminal was renovated: the capacity of the airport was increased to deal with increasing passenger numbers.

In December 2015, the privatisation of Samos International Airport and 13 other regional airports of Greece was finalised with the signing of the agreement between the Fraport AG/Copelouzos Group joint venture and the state privatisation fund.^[5] "We signed the deal today," the head of Greece's privatisation agency HRADF, Stergios Pitsiorlas, told Reuters.^[6] According to the agreement, the joint venture will operate the 14 airports (including Samos International Airport) for 40 years as of 11 April 2017.

General clean-up

Improving lighting, marking of airside areas.

Upgrading sanitary facilities

Enhancing services and offering a new free Internet connection (WiFi)

Implementing works to improve fire safety in all the areas of the airport

Expanding and remodeling the current terminal

New fire station

Reorganizing the airport apron area

19 percent increase in the total size of the terminal at 9,605 m²

40 percent increase in the number of check-in counters (from 10 to 14)

25 percent increase in the number of departure gates (from 4 to 5)

50 percent increase in the number of security lanes (from 2 to 3)

On 22 March 2017, Fraport Greece presented its master plan for the 14 regional airports including the International Airport of Samos.^[7]

The following summarizes the enhancement changes that will be started in October 2017 and will be implemented for Samos International Airport under Fraport Greece's investment plan until 2021:

On 3 August 1989, crashed into Mount Kerkis while on approach to Samos Airport. All 31 passengers and all three crew members died in the accident.^[21]

Samos International Airport