Guide to Chios Airport

Chios Airport “Omiros” (JKH), named after Homer, whom the island claims as its own, lies on the coast at Kontari just 4 km south of Chios Town, with the Turkish shore visible across the strait. It is a domestic airport first: Aegean, Olympic and Sky Express fly to Athens and Thessaloniki all year for an island of 50,000 people, and the summer adds a modest layer of Dutch, German and Scandinavian charters and Greek diaspora traffic.

The terminal is small and run by the Greek civil aviation authority rather than Fraport: one hall, arrivals and departures together, a car park in front and the city bus stop on the road outside. Chios Town, the port and the first beaches at Karfas are ten minutes away; the mastic villages of the south and the north-coast villages are an hour.

Transport

Chios Town and the port are 4 km away: about €10 by taxi or €1.60 on the city bus. Karfas beach is even closer; the mastic villages of Mesta and Pyrgi are 45 minutes south, about €45 by taxi.

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Parking

A modest car park in front of the terminal, from about €2 an hour or €8 a day, used by islanders on the daily Athens flights; there is nearly always space.

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Car rental

Local and international rental firms have desks at the terminal with cars parked in front. Chios Town and Karfas can be done without a car; the mastic villages, the north coast and the west beaches cannot, so most visitors rent for at least a few days.

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Local tips

  • The blue city bus passes the airport gate on its way between Chios Town and Karfas; for €1.60 it beats any taxi if you are not in a hurry.
  • Turkey is half an hour away by boat: the Çeşme ferry leaves from the town port several times a day in summer, close enough for a morning arrival to lunch in Alaçatı.
  • Sit on the right landing from the north: the approach runs down the strait with Turkey on one side and the town on the other.
  • August is the month the diaspora comes home: the Athens flights sell out and the car-rental fleet with them. Book both early.

See also

Prices and timetables are indicative and change seasonally. Confirm before you travel.