New Route of the Day (9 July 2025): Sky Express between Heraklion and Groningen
Greek carrier Sky Express introduced seasonal charter flights between Heraklion and Groningen on Wednesday 9 July. The 2,455-kilometre service will be maintained weekly with the A320neo aircraft. The new service is being maintained on behalf of tour operator Sunweb. The service will conclude on 20 August. Corendon Airlines also maintains operations between Heraklion and Groningen.
Flight GQ3250 departs Heraklion at 10:45 local time, arriving in Groningen at 13:20 local time. The return service, operating as flight GQ3251, takes off at 14:15 local time, touching back down on the Greek island at 18:35 local time.
What they said
Tom Roek, Marketing & Route Development Analyst at Groningen Airport Eelde, said: “We are very pleased to welcome Sunweb back with their first exclusive series from Groningen, operated by Sky Express. Heraklion continues to be an important leisure destination for our catchment area, and this new service offers passengers an additional departure day during the summer holiday period. We look forward to working closely with Sunweb and Sky Express this season, and hopefully for many seasons to come. On the Airport Media Hub page of Groningen Airport Eelde, we have highlighted unserved or underserved potential routes, including Heraklion. In 2019, we welcomed nearly 31,000 passengers on this route, compared to just over 18,000 in both 2023 and 2024. With the addition of this new series operated by Sunweb and Sky Express, we are working towards reaching the pre-COVID traffic levels that are well within reach for our notable catchment area of 2.1 million inhabitants within a 60-minute drive.”
Sky Express expands Heraklion operations
Sky Express operates a notable number of summer charters from Heraklion by working with European tour operators. In addition to Groningen, regular charter services are also maintained to Amsterdam, Bacau, Belgrade, Billund, Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Iasi, Kosice, Oradea, Pardubice, Sibiu, Suceava, Targu Mureș, Timisoara and Weeze.
These services complement the airline’s scheduled year-round flights to Athens, Rhodes and Thessaloniki, as well as a number of scheduled seasonal summer destinations such as a Paris CDG, Marseille, Lyon and Larnaca, to name a few.
Heraklion to get new airport
GMR Airports, GEK Terna, and the Greek state are developing a new international airport for Greece’s largest island of Crete through a joint venture. The project involves the design, construction, financing, operation and maintenance of the new airport, which will replace Heraklion, Greece’s second busiest after Athens.
The new airport will play a crucial role in connecting Crete to the world, facilitating the influx of tourists to the island. Centrally located, the new facility is set to open in February 2027.
The new airport will have the capacity to handle 18 million passengers per year. Unlike other regional airports in Greece, it will feature 10 boarding bridges, nine bus gates, a hydrant fuelling system and its own energy production and management systems. A new modern highway and connecting roads totalling approximately 24 kilometres will also be built to link the new facility with the north and south of the island.
Crete is the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean and accounts for 22% of Greece’s total bed capacity.
