Passengers wait on tarmac as passport queues build at Heraklion airport
Passengers arriving on a flight from abroad at Heraklion’s “Nikos Kazantzakis” airport faced long delays at passport control in the early hours of Saturday, with some reportedly forced to wait on the tarmac before being allowed into the terminal, according to Zarpanews.
The flight landed around 12:50 a.m., and according to a complaint from a passenger cited by Zarpanews, many travelers had to wait on the airport tarmac itself before the passport-control process could proceed and they could enter the terminal building.
Zarpanews notes the delays occurred during the busy summer tourist period at one of the main entry points for visitors to Crete, raising questions about the state of passenger processing and service at the airport.
The report does not specify the airline, the flight’s origin, or how long the wait lasted. No official response from airport authorities has been reported.
The incident comes as Crete’s tourism sector continues to record high visitor numbers this season. It follows a separate incident at the same airport earlier this month, when a vulture was rescued after landing on a parked plane’s wing.
