Officially named after Nikos Kazantzakis, the airport is the largest in Crete. During the summer season, it handles numerous charter flights; for the rest of the year, it is mainly served by flights from Athens and other Greek cities.

At first glance, Heraklion Airport looks rather old-fashioned and its facilities are no longer really suited to modern operations.

In 2017, a final decision was made to build a new, modern airport; the completion date has been repeatedly postponed and it is currently expected to open at the turn of 2026 and 2027.

For journeys to western Crete, Chania Airport is a viable alternative.

From April to October, the airport serves many airlines from across Europe, with both scheduled and charter flights heading to all corners of the continent.

The most extensive network of routes from Heraklion is operated by the following airlines:

• Aegean Airlines: year-round connections several times a day to Athens + summer seasonal direct flights to the whole of Europe
• Sky Express: year-round services to Athens, Thessaloniki and other Greek islands + seasonal direct flights throughout Europe during the summer
• Jet2.com: the most frequent services to many British cities
• Eurowings: flights to many German cities
• Volotea: direct flights to Athens, Italy and France
• TUI: extensive connections to the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany
• easyJet: flights to several UK cities, France and Switzerland
• Wizz Air: regular services to Eastern Europe
• Ryanair: a relatively limited number of flights compared to others, e.g. to Bergamo, Vienna, Berlin or Brussels