Completion of the Environmental Licensing for the Water Airport of the Messinian Capital!
The Peloponnese is at the forefront of interest regarding the development of the water airport network, as confirmed by the rapid developments surrounding the license that is expected to be granted for the Kalamata water airport.
Specifically, with the arrival of August, Kalamata received its environmental licensing, and all the necessary procedures have been completed, both by Hellenic Seaplanes, which is responsible for the licensing of the project, and by the Municipal Port Fund of the city.
The Full Water Airport File!
The pending issue concerning the environmental impact license has been resolved, as its approval has been announced, and the technical file for the water airport has now been fully updated and aligned with the new law and submitted to the relevant department of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure to initiate the licensing process.
The implementation of the Kalamata water airport carries the stamp of the Regional Governor of the Peloponnese, Mr. Panagiotis Nikas, who began the process of creating the water airport when he was the Mayor of the city, as well as the new Mayor, Mr. Thanasis Vasilopoulos, who has taken up the baton and, with persistence and strategy, sees his efforts succeeding, so that sea planes will soon fly over the Messinian Gulf.
In a related statement, the Mayor of Kalamata, Thanasis Vasilopoulos, said:
“As the Municipality of Kalamata, we feel a great sense of satisfaction that the implementation of the water airport in our city is finally starting. This is an important project that will meet the needs of the passenger public, while functioning in parallel and complementarily with other transportation means. We are pleased that, after a long period of stagnation, the modification of the regulatory framework now shows a clear political will to resolve the outstanding issues. We hope that the project will be completed soon, and that by 2022, the first sea plane flights will take place in Kalamata. No more delays are acceptable. From today, Kalamata is included in the national network of water airports and enters a new era of development for new tourist products, new transportation services, and new options for both the residents and visitors of Kalamata…”
According to the plan for the project, the Kalamata water airport is expected to include land-based facilities for passenger and luggage services with a total area of 120 square meters, as well as floating installations for the mooring of sea planes.
The sea planes that will undertake the flying operations are Viking Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft, which can carry 19 passengers each and achieve speeds of up to 320 kilometers per hour. Regarding the flight operations, they are expected to gradually increase, starting with up to five flight pairs daily (arrival-departure) at the start of the operations (2022), and reaching a maximum of up to twenty flight pairs (arrivals-departures) per day within five years. The water airport is expected to employ up to five people.
Upon the completion of the water airport’s licensing, Hellenic Seaplanes will integrate routes from Kalamata to other destinations in the Peloponnese into its flight plan, including connections between Messinia and Arcadia, specifically to Lake Taka, as well as Hydra, Spetses, Kythira, Monemvasia, Elafonisos, and more.
In his statements, the President and CEO of Hellenic Seaplanes, Mr. Nicolas Charalambous, commented on the progress of the Kalamata water airport:
“The coordinated efforts from all participating sides have yielded results, and the Kalamata water airport case clearly confirms this. Kalamata is a city of strategic importance for Hellenic Seaplanes, and the flight plan that will be developed from and to its water airport will connect many neighboring areas. It is 100% certain that the presence of the water airport will strengthen Kalamata’s already established tourism power, being a destination capable of supporting many different types of tourism.”
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