Athens to Heraklion
Private Charter
Athens to Heraklion is about 45 minutes on a light jet, 167 nautical miles from Athens International down the Aegean to Nikos Kazantzakis, five kilometres from the city, or about 90 minutes on a twin-engine helicopter that can go on to Elounda or a villa pad. Crete is the biggest island in Greece and its airport takes anything we broker. One time zone, one country, no customs on the leg.
Reviewed by Kevin Singh, Founder · Fact-checked against Icarus Jet fleet and airport operations data · Last updated 11 September 2026
Route overview
Airport and airspace facts checked against the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority publications and Icarus Jet operations data.
Get your number
Get a number for your dates
Tell us the dates, the passengers and where on Crete you are staying. The desk quotes the jet or the helicopter that fits the group, files the Heraklion slot, and tells you what the number covers before you book.
Prefer to talk? Call +1 888 277 7203. The desk is staffed 24/7.
The route
Why fly private from Athens to Heraklion?
Athens to Heraklion is the Crete sector on the Athens desk: 167 nautical miles, about 45 minutes on a light jet, and a landing five kilometres from the capital of the island. Elounda and the resorts of the north east coast are an hour by road, Chania two, and the helicopter that flies the same sector in about 90 minutes lands at the resort instead. The ferry from Piraeus takes all night.
Why private works here
The ferry from Piraeus takes all night; the jet takes forty-five minutes of it. From Athens International, where the arriving jet has parked, you are on the apron at Nikos Kazantzakis with the car ready for the hour to Elounda or the two to Chania, and no Athens airline connection with its summer queues in between. The jet then waits for the way home or a Santorini leg. The twin-engine helicopter from Athens or Megara takes twice as long over open Aegean, and earns that by landing at the Elounda resorts or a villa pad with approval instead of the airport.
Helicopter or aircraft
Heraklion is a jet sector with a long sea crossing: 167 nautical miles, and once the coast of Attica is behind you it is open Aegean until Crete, which is why the desk quotes a light jet first and, when a helicopter is asked for, only a twin-engine. The usual Crete party is a family or a resort group of six to seven with luggage for a week, comfortable in a Citation CJ or Phenom 300 at about 45 minutes. A King Air takes eight with heavier bags in a little over an hour. The twin-engine helicopter needs about 90 minutes over water and is quoted when the landing is Elounda or a resort pad rather than the airport.
Advisor note
Heraklion is a proper airport shared with the Air Force: an 8,793 foot runway, customs on site, room for anything we broker, and the summer slot, which the desk files with the trip. A jet from abroad can land there directly. The one thing to know for the years ahead is that Crete is building a replacement airport at Kastelli, and the desk will move the plan when it opens.
Icarus Jet charter deskCost
What determines the cost of an Athens to Heraklion private charter?
A forty-five minute island sector is priced on the aircraft, the trip shape, the slot and the dates. These are the things that move the number on Athens to Heraklion.
Aircraft
A light jet is quoted first on Heraklion because 45 minutes over open sea is a jet's job. A King Air trims the number for eight with bags and adds twenty minutes. A twin-engine helicopter costs more per hour, takes twice as long, and is chosen for the resort landing on the north east coast rather than for the price.
Round trip or two one-ways
A day on Crete keeps the jet on the apron at Nikos Kazantzakis. A week is two one-way flights, and because Santorini is twenty minutes north by jet the desk often builds a Cyclades leg into the way home. It quotes the shape the week takes and says which is cleaner.
Slots, a shared airport and daylight
Athens is Level 3 slot coordinated and Heraklion is coordinated in the summer, so the desk files the pair together. Nikos Kazantzakis is shared with the Hellenic Air Force, which is one more reason the slot and the parking are confirmed before the quote. A resort or villa pad for the helicopter needs the owner's approval, and the flight is planned inside daylight.
Handling and parking at Heraklion
Handling at Nikos Kazantzakis is arranged with the slot, and parking for a stay of several days is confirmed before departure, which matters in July and August at a shared airport.
The season
July and August are the tightest weeks for slots at Heraklion and for aircraft out of Athens. Those dates book weeks ahead; April to June and September to October are easier.
What the number covers
We tell you what the quote covers before you book and we hold the operator to the number we gave you. No surprises on the invoice is the point of using the desk.
Aircraft
Which aircraft flies Athens to Heraklion?
Crete's main airport takes the whole brokered fleet, and the light jet is quoted first for the open-sea crossing. These are the three quoted most on Athens to Heraklion.
Citation CJ and Phenom 300 class
Six to seven passengers in about 45 minutes, and the usual answer for Crete from Athens.
King Air 200 and 350 class
Eight passengers with proper luggage in about an hour and five minutes, and the cheaper seat for a family with bags.
Airbus H145 and AW139 class
Six to twelve passengers with light luggage in about 90 minutes, landing at Elounda, a hotel or a villa pad with approval.
See the aircraft we broker and the helicopters we broker for the full range.
Before you fly
What should I know before flying Athens to Heraklion?
No customs between Athens and Crete. The leg is domestic, so there is no border on the flight and the crew checks passports or EU ID at the aircraft. Heraklion has its own customs, which is what lets a jet from Geneva or Dubai land there without touching Athens.
Heraklion International is the arrival. Nikos Kazantzakis has a main runway of 8,793 feet at 115 feet, about five kilometres east of the city, shared with the Hellenic Air Force, with customs on site, so it also takes a jet direct from abroad. The summer slot goes in with the Athens slot. Elounda is about an hour by road; a helicopter with the resort's approval lands at the door. A replacement airport at Kastelli is under construction and the desk will move the plan when it opens.
On the Athens side, the helicopter lifts from Athens International or from Megara. Athens International is where an arriving jet parks and where most island helicopters load, 20 miles east of the city at Spata, under a Level 3 slot with mandatory handling. Megara, the Army helicopter base west of the city with a civil apron, takes helicopters and light aircraft by day with no permission needed and is the quieter lift for a trip that starts in Athens itself. Tatoi and Elefsis are military fields closed to visiting aircraft, whatever the map suggests.
No time change and a Cretan week. Chania in the west has its own airport, Santorini is twenty minutes north by jet, and the desk builds the Santorini or Chania leg into the same quote.
When to go
When is the best time to fly Athens to Heraklion?
April to October is the season, longer than the Cyclades because Crete is further south. July and August are the tightest weeks for slots at Heraklion and for aircraft out of Athens, and book weeks ahead. April to June and September to October keep Crete's long season with slots that come through first time.
Crete is the one Greek island that works in winter, and outside the season the airport is quiet and a few days of notice is comfortable.
Related
Athens airport guides
The Athens fields the Crete sector departs from, with runways, slots and helicopter operations on their own guides. Heraklion gets its guide as the Crete set is published.
Questions
Athens to Heraklion private charter questions
How long is a private flight from Athens to Heraklion?
About 45 minutes on a light jet, about 1 hour 05 on a King Air and about 1 hour 30 on a twin-engine helicopter. The sector is 167 nautical miles from Athens International to Nikos Kazantzakis.
Which airport do private jets use in Heraklion?
Heraklion International, Nikos Kazantzakis, about five kilometres east of the city and shared with the Hellenic Air Force. Its 8,793 foot main runway and customs on site mean the field takes the whole brokered fleet and a jet from abroad lands there without an Athens stop. A replacement airport at Kastelli is under construction.
Can I fly a helicopter from Athens to Heraklion?
Yes. A twin-engine helicopter does it in about 90 minutes over the Aegean and can land at Elounda, a hotel or a villa pad with approval, which is the reason to choose it over the forty-five-minute jet.
Which aircraft is best for Athens to Heraklion?
The light jet, a Citation CJ or Phenom 300 class carrying six to seven, is the first quote for Heraklion because forty-five minutes over open Aegean is what a jet is for. A King Air 200 or 350 takes eight with heavier luggage for less. The twin-engine helicopter is quoted when the landing is Elounda or a resort pad.
Does Heraklion need a slot?
In the summer, yes. The desk files the Heraklion slot with the trip along with the Athens slot, and confirms parking if the aircraft stays, which matters at a shared airport in August.
What determines the cost of an Athens to Heraklion charter?
The aircraft first, because a jet, a King Air and a ninety-minute helicopter are priced differently for Crete. Then whether it is a day return or two one-ways, the Heraklion and Athens slots with handling, parking at a shared airport if the aircraft stays, and the dates against July and August. Everything the number includes is listed before you book.
Can I fly Heraklion to Athens on the same page?
Yes. The sector is quoted in both directions, with the aircraft positioning in from Athens for the pickup at Heraklion. For a week on Crete the desk usually prices two one-way flights rather than an aircraft parked at a shared airport, and it files the Heraklion and Athens slots either way. Put Heraklion as the departure in the form.
Can I fly from abroad straight to Heraklion?
Yes. Heraklion has customs, so a jet from London, Geneva or Dubai lands there directly. Athens to Heraklion is the leg for a trip that has started in Athens or arrived there.
Is the new Kastelli airport open?
Not yet. Crete is building a replacement airport at Kastelli, east of Heraklion. Until it opens, Nikos Kazantzakis is the arrival, and the desk will move the plan when the change comes.
Can I continue from Heraklion to Santorini or Chania?
Yes. Santorini is about twenty minutes north of Heraklion by jet or an hour by helicopter, and Chania has its own airport at the western end of Crete. The desk builds the Crete week into a single quote with the Athens leg, so the same jet or helicopter carries you on rather than a new booking.
When is the best time to fly to Heraklion?
April to October, and Crete's season runs longer than the Cyclades because the island sits further south. July and August are the busiest weeks for Heraklion slots and for aircraft out of Athens; April to June and September to October book far more easily. Crete is also the one Greek island that works in winter.
How much notice do I need to book Athens to Heraklion?
Weeks ahead in July and August, when the Heraklion slot, parking at a shared airport and the aircraft out of Athens all tighten together. In the spring and autumn months the desk can usually confirm within a few days, and in winter, when Crete is the island still worth flying to, notice is rarely the issue.
Other routes
Other routes from the Athens desk
Sectors the same desk quotes every week, each with its own guide to the airports, the aircraft and the timing.
Get your number
Athens to Heraklion, quoted from the desk
Give us the dates, the passengers and where on Crete you are staying. You will get the jet for the crossing or the helicopter for Elounda, the Heraklion and Athens slots filed and a number you can hold us to.
Get a number for your datesPrefer to talk? Call +1 888 277 7203 or email charter@icarusjet.com, or send the trip online. The desk is staffed 24/7.