Elevated summer-season traffic in Greece necessitates that business aviation flights obtain both a takeoff and a landing slot to use most airports, but only after first receiving a parking authorization. Only two airports—Heraklion and Thessaloniki—are exempt from the parking slot requirements.
Slot requests—delivered first-come, first-served—must be directed to the Hellenic Slot Coordination Authority no more than 28 days before the flight. Although operators report the slot system appears to be working satisfactorily, a local Greek source said the real test of the program might well come next year. The Airports Council International reported that Mikonos, for example, southeast of the Greek mainland, saw traffic climb by 27 percent last year. Details of the slot program are available from the European Business Aviation Association.