Departure
96%
vs 95% ▲ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos" (ICAO: LGSM, IATA: SMI) serves Samos Island in the North Aegean, close to the town of Pythagorio. It has a single short runway hemmed in by mountains at one end and the sea at the other, making it a demanding but rewarding destination for visiting pilots, particularly when the summer Meltemi is blowing.
Samos International Airport, officially named after the ancient astronomer and mathematician Aristarchos of Samos, lies on Samos Island in the North Aegean and lies within about 5 km of the nearby town of Pythagorio. The field is operated under a long-term concession by the Fraport AG/Copelouzos Group joint venture, which manages this and thirteen other regional Greek airports. For a simulator pilot it offers a genuinely challenging approach: a single hard runway squeezed between high ground and open water, with strong seasonal winds adding to the difficulty.
The airport sits on the southern side of Samos Island in the North Aegean region of Greece, close to Pythagorio. The surrounding terrain includes nearby mountains, and the runway ends close to the sea, leaving little margin for error on approach.
Samos has one physical runway, 09/27, a hard-surfaced strip of roughly 6,700 feet (09: 6,704 ft; 27: 6,703 ft), which is lit. The airport is not equipped with an ILS. Field elevation is 13 feet.
Air-to-ground communication is provided on 563.7 MHz. Approach and Tower services both operate on 122.1 MHz. There is no ILS at Samos, so arrivals are flown visually or by other non-precision means.
Specific published circuit heights and joining instructions are not detailed in the available material, but the single runway's proximity to mountainous terrain on one side and the sea at the other means approaches and departures require careful attention to terrain and to the strong Meltemi winds that are common from the north during summer months, which further complicate landings.
Pythagorio, the nearby town from which the airport takes much of its local character, lies about 5 km away and serves as a useful landmark. The high ground inland, including Mount Kerkis further along the island, and the sea immediately beyond the runway ends are the dominant visual features pilots will use to orient themselves on approach.
Samos Airport first became operational in May 1976. The terminal was renovated in the late 1990s and early 2000s to cope with rising passenger numbers. In December 2015 the airport, along with thirteen other regional Greek airports, was privatised under an agreement between the Fraport AG/Copelouzos Group joint venture and the Greek state privatisation fund, with the joint venture taking over operation of the airports for a 40-year term from 11 April 2017. A master plan for upgrades across the fourteen airports was presented in March 2017, covering general infrastructure, lighting, fire safety and terminal improvements, with construction largely completed by January 2021. On 3 August 1989, Olympic Aviation Flight 545 crashed into Mount Kerkis while on approach to Samos Airport, a reminder of the terrain challenges the airfield presents. More recently, runway construction works have required temporary closures, including a full closure from 5 to 25 November 2024, and scheduled weekly 24-hour closures every Wednesday from 18 November 2025 to 24 March 2026 as further runway works are carried out.
Samos remains an active commercial airport handling scheduled and seasonal charter services to a range of European and domestic destinations, operated under the Fraport Greece concession. Runway construction works have periodically required temporary or scheduled closures in recent years, so pilots planning a visit should check current notices before flying in.