A recent public prosecutor’s intervention temporarily banned the flights of private helicopters to the island of Santorini, one of the most popular travel destinations in the Aegean Sea. Reason for the ban are reportedly deficiencies in the licenses of the helipad, in both the landing and take off areas.
“Until there is a licensed helipad, no helicopter flights will take place,” mayor of Thira, Nikolaos Zorzos told state broadcaster ERT on Friday.
“There was a prosecutor’s order to check the landing and takeoff areas of the helicopters. I can’t confirm if there was a direct danger from the flights, but it is clear that the problems mainly stemmed from the lack of licensed sites,” the mayor said.
“The problems mainly came from the lack of licensed areas for the helicopters,” Zorzos stressed pointing out that the island should not be not viable for tourists.
Furthermore, Zorzos referred to complaints of the owners of hotel units about the nuisance caused by the constant flights. He underlined that the only licensed helipad is located at the island’s airport and this is not sufficient to cover the needs.
“Until there is a licensed helipad, helicopter flights will remain suspended,” mayor Zorzos noted.
At the same time, he emphasized that, in consultation with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) the possibility of having a municipal helipad to serve such needs is being sought.
With reference to tourism development and complaints about over-tourism, the mayor underlined the importance of not further expanding construction activities in Santorini. “Let’s not develop an island that will not be viable for tourism. To stop the construction of new hotels of every category, that is, from strategic investment to Airbnb throughout the island” Zorzos argued,
In addition, he added that “the ban on building activity in the off-plan area of the Caldera is strict and not a single square meter of Airbnb should be allowed in the area.”
Thira mayor Zorzos reiterated the importance of adopting brave decisions for the protection of the island and the effective management of tourist flows.
Santorini saw a tsunami of visitors also in summer 2024, with tourists and cruise ship passengers dramatically surpassing the number of permanent residents.
