What’s the status?
Is it permanently closed?
Closed since 1959 according to some sources, even though there are pictures on the Internet which show some GA activity in 2017 (Google Maps), maybe for an open day?
It’s also pretty close to Chania Souda AFB.
What the status of those airplanes is (museum or not) there are conflicting reports, whether they are accessible or not.
(What is the reason ALL airports in Greece (even abandoned or closed ones) are pixxeled out on Google maps? What do they have to hide? Not many people do that these days, not even for their military fields. To cover all their airports up like this is simply ridikulous and shows the state of mind about their airports that these people seem to have. )
Looking at pics online, there have been what looks like airshows. 1959 is just the date when airline activity moved from Maleme to Hania / Souda Bay LGSA.
Yes it is only a 20 min taxi from Hania town. I landed at LGSA in 2007 – 5 days PPR for arrival and 5 days PPR for departure was enough to totally do your head in because if the wx was unsuitable on day of dep, you were stuck there for 5 more days! After getting totally shafted by Eurocontrol (bad old days before autorouting tools) I managed to “escape” to Brac, luckily – writeup.
Maleme could obviously be a nice GA airfield on Crete – if there was a political will. The general area is very nice. Sitia LGST on Crete has been “the one” for many years but even though it has not yet had the Fraport robbers installed, it’s been taken over by useless officials who make everything into a big meal. In Greece you need a pro-GA manager otherwise the whole place goes downhill. Greek GA needs a fresh approach because all the indications are that Fraport has practically killed intra-Greek GA, in terms of Greek locals flying between islands and the mainland.
You can walk onto the airfield – those are my photos. The military planes are obviously INOP – decades old wrecks. There were some Cessnas and a TB parked there.
Do you think any Greek airport managers are reading this forum and if they are how do you think they would react to post #04.
They would have a little smile 
After all, they are only doing what Fraport showed them how to do.
gallois wrote:
Do you think any Greek airport managers are reading this forum and if they are how do you think they would react to post #04.
Some would say: “Great, we now getting to where we want them.” whereas those with a bit of ambition in them for the work they do would likely be ashamed for what they are doing any maybe try to figure out ways to make it better?
And if they are reading here:
As someone who has worked on an international airport for close to 40 years, I can tell you honestly that there is ALWAYS a way if you want it.
When the airport I work for screws up, which happens, I feel personally ashamed, even though it is not in my control at all. But I work there, I have a certain amount of pride to work on such a great infrastructure.
If you read here, and elsewhere, that Greek airports have a bad reputation in General Aviation for reasons which in most cases can not be explained rationally but with a mind set, then I can only hope that maybe you sit back and think about it for a while. Maybe you’ll wonder why it is important enough to your managers and others involved to create an image of laziness and incompetence within a group of people who love your country enough to take the hassles to fly there?
Greek hospitality is legendary and I have many friends in many places in Greece, who every time I tell them about the problems GA has in Greece, become sad and frustrated. Maybe you consider this and maybe ask yourself how to change this and believe me, it’s a lot more fun if people are happy with your work.
Peter wrote:
There were some Cessnas and a TB parked there.
So it this airfield open or not ? I can see a white UL on your pics.
For those like me who didn’t know that, Maleme was the place that allowed Germans to invade Crete in 1941.
Later sabotages from allied commandos againts Crete airfields.
This was posted on the Greek GA FB site:
Maleme is 29 Km from Fraport Chania LGSA airport. Fraport’s concession agreement with the state includes a clause whereby, no other airport may operate within 100Km. Maleme is not a licensed airfield. Its not mentioned anywhere in Greece AIP. Its a land plot (with extreme historical value from the WWII battle of Crete) that belongs to the Armed Forces and is maintained as a Heritage Site.
