Maleme Airport ( el, Αεροδρόμιο Μάλεμε) is an airport situated at
Maleme
Maleme ( el, Μάλεμε) is a small village and military airport to the west of Chania, in north western Crete, Greece. It is located in Platanias municipality, in Chania (regional unit), Chania regional unit.
History
Bronze Age
A Late Minoan ...
,
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...
. It has two runways (13/31 and 03/21) with no lights. The airport has closed for commercial aviation, but the Chania Aeroclub continues to use it.
The airport operated until 1959 as the main public airport of
Chania
Chania ( el, Χανιά ; vec, La Canea), also spelled Hania, is a city in Greece and the capital of the Chania regional unit. It lies along the north west coast of the island Crete, about west of Rethymno and west of Heraklion.
The muni ...
. the Hellenic Air Force makes limited use of the facility.
Maleme Airport became a historic World War II site when many German parachutists and mountain troops landed there in May 1941 as part of the
Battle of Crete
The Battle of Crete (german: Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta, el, Μάχη της Κρήτης), codenamed Operation Mercury (german: Unternehmen Merkur), was a major Axis airborne and amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island ...
.
See also
*
List of airports in Crete
The Greek island of Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...
References
External links
Maleme at Battlefield Review
Airports in Greece
Battle of Crete
Buildings and structures in Chania (regional unit)
Hellenic Air Force bases
Airports in Crete
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