×

Greece’s Heraklion airport resumes flights after farmers end protest

By Thomson Reuters Dec 9, 2025 | 2:52 AM

ATHENS, Dec 9 (Reuters) – Flights to and from Heraklion Airport on the Greek island ‍of Crete resumed early on Tuesday, aviation officials said, after farmers who had been blocking the terminal ended a protest.

Three flights were ‌cancelled and several others delayed ‌after a group of farmers threw stones at police and stormed onto the runway at Heraklion on Monday, halting ​some air traffic.

The airport resumed operations around 0800 GMT on ‍Tuesday, a Greek ​aviation official told Reuters ​on condition of anonymity.

Farmers have ‍deployed thousands of tractors and trucks in dozens of blockades, disrupting traffic during a nationwide demonstration triggered by funding delays.

Greek farmers ‍face a shortfall of more than 600 million euros ($699 million) in European ‍Union aid ‍and other payments ​after a corruption scandal ​in ⁠which some farmers, aided by ‌state employees, faked land ownership to qualify for payouts.

Ongoing audits have slowed subsequent disbursements.

(Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou and Renee Maltezou; Editing by ⁠Alexander Smith)