Welcome to the Cyclades Islands in Microsoft Flight Simulator! Paros and Naxos are two “twin” islands, located south-east of Athens, and are part of the Cyclades Islands group, which are also popular for the islands of Santorini and Mykonos. Both Paros and Naxos are popular touristic spots due to their beautiful beaches and historical ruins.
The old airport of Paros (LGPX) was operational since 1982. Its 710-meter runway was sufficient for its time, but over years, passenger numbers grew making the use of larger aircraft necessary. Although these aircraft could serve various Greek airports, Paros airport was not one of them. The reason was that it had a short runway. It was finally decided that there should be a new airport for the island. The new airport (LGPA) opened in 2016 taking over all operations of the old airport. It has a wider, 1,400 meter runway and larger aircraft can use it. The types that fly to the airport currently are the following: Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 of Olympic Air, ATR 42/72 of Sky Express (Greece), BAe 146 of Astra Airlines and B737-700 of Travel Service.
Plans for further expansion of the New Paros airport include a new terminal of 12.000m2, an extended runway of 1799m, a new control tower and other facilities. However, the expansion project has faced strong criticism of the islanders, and seems to have been postponed.
The airport in Naxos features a 901m runway, and operates direct flights from Athens, primarily with the ATR 42. The airport was initially opened in 1996, and since then has had a 50% growth year over year in passenger traffic. For that reason, in mid-2022, plans for expansion were announced, to increase the runway lenght and improve passenger facilities.
Neither of these airports have Navaids, so get ready for those beautiful visual approaches!
Features:
• New Paros National Airport (LGPA), as of 2022. This airport does not exist by default on the simulator
• LPGA realistic terminal interiors
• Old Paros National Airport (LGPX), not closed on the simulator
• Realistic terrain profiles on LGPA and LGPX
• Naxos Island Apollon National Airport (LGNX)
• Excellent PBR Texturing
