Ten days in Crete, September 2023

[graham]

What with Covid and our Springer Dougie tearing his cruciate ligament in 2019, this was our first trip to Crete since 2018. I'd booked it through easyJet Holidays although I usually book all aspects of the trip - flights - accommodation- transfers independently. The flights on the days and times we wanted them were ridiculously priced, so I booked the package deal which was only fifty quid more than the flights, and we still were able to travel on the same flights we wanted.

We flew out on EZY8215 from LGW, our chariot being G-EZWR. We were ready for the push back when the pilot told us that due to "an issue with Greek ATC", we couldn't depart for forty minutes. So, we sat there, finally got the push back, joined the queue for departure and off we went. It was cloudless for most of the flight and having booked seats 23a and 23B, we had a great view as we sailed over Paris, Venice, Athens and Santorini before dropping down into Nikos Kazantazakis airport in Crete just ten minutes behind schedule.

It was the usual not-very-exciting array of European charter flights on the apron although we did taxi past a cream coloured Mil-8 which defied identifying due to distance and heat haze.

Despite the new airport at Kastelli opening in 2025, a lot of money has been thrown at the existing airport making our transit through very quick and efficient. Even the usually scowling Border officials were pleasant and friendly.

Our transfer coach was waiting for us and once we'd boarded, we set off for Anissaras, our regular location where we first stayed 23 years ago. We chosen an apartment at Villa Marina, the main reason being that it was the only property in Anissaras currently available through easyJet Holidays. We had stayed there in October 2004, the place was tired and run down and just for good measure, Golden Sun, who we'd booked with, went bust four days before the end of the trip. But no such worries in 2023, the place had received a major refurbishment in 2017 apparently and was amongst the best accommodation we'd had on Crete.

As mentioned before, Anissaras sits about 24kms east of the airport and as the wind invariably blows from the west, all inbounds go over the village at between 2500 - 3500ft on finals.

We both wanted a lazy holiday, and that's what we had. Of our ten full days, seven were spent in Anissaras, we took the bus to Heraklion on one day, and to Agios Nikolaos for an overnight stay to see Caroline's parents who've lived there since 2012.

Inbounds to Kazantzakis were relentless, averaging a flight every five or ten minutes. During the peak holiday period from June to September, it's Greece's busiest airport, eclipsing even Athens.

VRs - PlanePlotter is hopeless, offering zero coverage anywhere throughout the islands. ADSB is OK, certainly better than PP but with some big gaps in coverage, PlaneFinder shows most aircraft but many minus the registrations, FR24 is easily the best, full coverage and all registrations.

This was my fifth continental jaunt in a year, two work trips to northern Italy, a trip to Rhodes last September, Corfu this May and now Crete so I didn't expect to make a load. Everything was trailing on every day which made life easier. The biggest absence was of course all the VQ and VR registered stuff from Russia which usually piles in twice a week. From what our friends who own businesses told us, no one misses the Russians and every fur showroom we saw between Anissaras and Heraklion looked to be permanently closed. The car rental companies who also pandered to the Russians were also closed. When we hire a car, we hire a small Peugeot or similar, the Russians go for expensive Audis and BMWs so the rental firms have caught a cold on those cars.

I emailed my daily logs to myself via the feature on PlaneBase mobile, it "seems" to have worked properly this time ( it just put everything under one date when we went to Corfu) so I'm hoping it'll will produce a proper report which I'll post shortly.

There were a few highlights - an HZ registered DA42, an Israeli registered C172 and the star of the show, the Bangkok Airways ATR72 which came into Heraklion from Turkey and overnighted on its way to Prague. The best would have been a Mauretanian B737 5T-CLC which appeared on the VR heading NW as if she would go right over us, but she then swung to port giving no chance at all.

We flew home on EZY8216, our chariot being A320 G-EZTD, departed on time, queued for a slot at LGW for 15 minutes before setting down in high winds and torrential rain. All went well, no queues at Passport Control, bags were on the belt within a few minutes, caught the bus to Summer Special Parking by the skin of our teeth and was first into the portakabin to retrieve the car keys.

IMG_4963 by Graham Brown, on Flickr

[graham]

OK, these are the frames I made, I can see there are some inaccuracies in certain dates but I really can't be arsed to double check everything. OTT's have been included as "Heraklion Kazantzakis" just to make pulling the logs off easier

Date Location Regn Type C/No Operator St Notes
09-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis A6-FMK Boeing 737MAX 8 60981 flydubai F
09-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis EI-INE Airbus A320 271NSL 11502 Italia Trasporto Aereo F
09-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis HZ-NS64 Airbus A320 251NSL 11541 Flynas F
09-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis M-AHAA Bombardier Global 7500 70127 International Jet Management FZC F
09-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis N194AC Sikorsky CH-54A Tarhe S-64E 64017 Erickson F
09-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis OE-LSR Airbus A320 251NSL 11576 easyJet Europe F
09-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis RA-73841 Airbus A321 231 4311 Ural Airlines F
09-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis TC-LAJ Boeing 737MAX 8 61811 AnadoluJet F
09-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis YL-ABH Airbus A220 300 55162 Air Baltic F
09-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis YU-GIN Cessna Citation CJ1 525-0090 Air Pink F

10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 22704 Leonardo AW.109 S Trekker 22704 Greek Air Force F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 5A-MSB Airbus A320 214 4357 Medsky Airways F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-FIVE Airbus ACJ TwoTwenty 50062 Comlux Malta Ltd F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-SWI Airbus A320 232 3141 Avion Express Malta F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis A7-BOG Boeing 777 3ZGER 37943 Qatar Airways F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis EC-NYE Airbus A321 271NXSL 11337 Vueling Airlines F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis EI-INC Airbus A320 271NSL 11288 Italia Trasporto Aereo F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis ES-MBC Airbus A320 271NSL 6967 Marabu Airlines F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis F-HHUG Airbus A330 941N 1993 Corsair F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis F-HSIT Piaggio P.180 Avanti EVO 3015 Oyonnair F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis HB-ILS Gulfstream Aerospace GIV SP 1353 AMAC Corporate Jet AG F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis HB-JOS Airbus A320 214 4391 Chair Airlines F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis HZ-AS82 Airbus A320 214SL 8442 Saudi Arabian Airlines F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis HZ-ASAB Airbus A321 251NXSL 11420 Saudi Arabian Airlines F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis HZ-FMS Diamond Aircraft Twin Star DA42-VI 42.N164 Private F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis HZ-MS73 Hawker Beechcraft Corp King Air 350C FM-22 Saudi Armed Forces Medical Services F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis JY-AZD Airbus A320 232SL 6474 Royal Jordanian Airlines F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis LX-LBL Boeing 737MAX 8 64607 Luxair F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis LY-TUV Airbus A321 211SL 6767 Marabu Airlines F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis MAE Boeing C-17A Globemaster III 50253 Qatar Emiri Air Force F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis N599CH Bombardier Global 6000 9515 Avwest P/L F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis N950KT Gulfstream Aerospace G450 4187 Clay Lacy Aviation Inc F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis SP-EXE Boeing 737MAX 8 60388 Enter Air F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis SU-BEW Lockheed C-130H Hercules 4936 Egyptian Air Force F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis SX-HEJ Bell 407 53750 Bellavio Ltd F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis T7-GMC Bombardier Global 7500 70026 TAG Aviation Asia F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis TC-GRO Boeing 737MAX 8 65184 Southwind Airlines F
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis YL-AAT Airbus A220 300 55055 Air Baltic F

11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 156517 Lockheed EP-3E Orion 5511 United States Navy F
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 5A-DCN Dassault Falcon 900EX 148 Government of Libya F
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9K-AKS Airbus A320 251NSL 11187 Kuwait Airways F
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis A7-ANT Airbus A350 1041 430 Qatar Airways F
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis D-AMAD Boeing 737MAX 8 44658 TUIfly F
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis HA-SCW Cessna Citation VII 650-7090 Jet Stream Charter F
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis HB-JPC Airbus A321 271NXSL 11298 Swiss International Air Lines F
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis HZ-AS59 Airbus A320 214SL 7789 Saudi Arabian Airlines F
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis HZ-NS43 Airbus A320 251NSL 10514 Flynas F
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis HZ-NS57 Airbus A320 251NSL 11271 Flynas F
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis MM62209 Airbus ACJ319 115X 1795 Italian Air Force F
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis N189AC Erickson S-64E Skycrane 641001 Erickson F
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis OE-LZP Airbus A320 271NSL 11418 Austrian Airlines F
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis OK-IOO Airbus A320 214 3762 CSA Czech Airlines F
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis OK-SWH Boeing 737MAX 8 62902 Smartwings F
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis PS-NJR Dassault Falcon 900LX 245 Neymar Sport e Marketing Ltda F
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis RA-76360 Ilyushin IL-76 TD 1033414492 Gelix Airlines F
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis SU-BKW Beech 1900 C-1 UC-15 Egyptian Air Force F
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis SU-BTY Ilyushin IL-76 MF 2013423808 Egyptian Air Force F
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis SU-BVK Airbus A320 251NSL 11106 Air Cairo F
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis SU-GFE Airbus A220 300 55074 Egyptair F
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis T7-AYO Bombardier Challenger 604 5622 Gulf Wings F
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis T7-URJ Dassault Falcon 2000LX S 321 ExecuJet Middle East F
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis TC-LUK Airbus A320 271NSL 11103 AnadoluJet F
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis YI-BAT Boeing 737NG 9GPER/W 35711 Fly Baghdad F
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis YL-ABB Airbus A220 300 55126 Air Baltic F

12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 1342 Bombardier Global 6000 9714 United Arab Emirates Air Force F
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 162159 Grumman C-2A Greyhound 39 United States Navy F
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 4X-DBR Reims/Cessna F172P 2041 Private F
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 58-0073 Boeing KC-135R 17818 United States Air Force F
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 5A-EMA Airbus A320 233 3418 FlyOya F
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 99-1431 Lockheed C-130J-30 Hercules 5517 United States Air Force F
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-WDR Airbus A321 271NXSL 11309 Wizz Air Malta F
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9K-AKM Airbus A320 251NSL 9119 Kuwait Airways F
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis CS-TXL Airbus A321 251NXSL 11182 TAP Air Portugal F
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis D-AEEA Airbus A321 251NXSL 11412 Eurowings F
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis D-ANRB Airbus A330 941N 1958 Condor Flugdienst F
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis ER-00008 Airbus A320 233SL 5840 Fly One F
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis ES-MBB Airbus A320 271NSL 6914 Marabu Airlines F
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis F-HUYP Boeing 737NG 8GP/W 39814 Transavia France F
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis HZ-AS78 Airbus A320 214SL 8394 Saudi Arabian Airlines F
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis JY-AZC Airbus A320 232SL 6455 Royal Jordanian Airlines F
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis LY-LOC Boeing 737NG 85P/W 33980 KlasJet F
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis LY-TFS Boeing 737NG 86J/W 37741 Air Serbia F
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis OE-IDU Airbus A320 216SL 5844 easyJet Europe F
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis SU-BVJ Airbus A320 251NSL 11218 Air Cairo F
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis VH-NXK Boeing 717 231 55092 QantasLink F

13-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-MLO Airbus A320 214SL 5653 Eurowings F
13-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-WDT Airbus A321 271NXSL 11457 Wizz Air Malta F
13-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9K-APF Airbus A330 841N 1964 Kuwait Airways F
13-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis A9C-FJ Boeing 787 9 40602 Gulf Air F
13-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis B-8211 Dassault Falcon 7X 212 Business Aviation Asia F
13-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis EI-KGH Airbus A321 271NXSL 10534 Air Astana F
13-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis HA-LGE Airbus A321 271NXSL 11007 Wizz Air F
13-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis HA-LZP Airbus A321 271NXSL 10875 Wizz Air F
13-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis HZ-NS46 Airbus A320 251NSL 10760 Flynas F
13-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis HZ-NS48 Airbus A320 251NSL 10807 Flynas F
13-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis N708DB Gulfstream Aerospace G650 6003 Boyland Family Skies LLC F
13-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis SP-EXC Boeing 737MAX 8 44624 Enter Air F
13-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis SX-NEP Airbus A320 271NSL 11546 Aegean Airlines F
13-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis YR-SUN Airbus A320 232SL 6278 HiSky Europe F

14-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 05-1436 Lockheed C-130J-30 Hercules 5575 United States Air Force F
14-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 08-5715 Lockheed C-130J-30 Hercules 5715 United States Air Force F
14-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 1625 Lockheed C-130H Hercules 5269 Royal Saudi Air Force F
14-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 163557 Beech UC-12F Huron BU-5 United States Marine Corps F
14-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 5B-DEB Airbus A220 300 55208 Cyprus Airways F
14-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-MLY Airbus A320 232 3943 Air Baltic F
14-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-SMH Airbus A330 343E 1549 Saudi Arabian Airlines F
14-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis A6-FMH Boeing 737MAX 8 60979 flydubai F
14-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis D-CADA Bombardier Learjet 60 XR 60-414 Aero-Dienst F
14-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis EC-OAS Airbus A321 251NXSL 11535 Iberia Express F
14-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis ET-ALJ Boeing 767 360ERBDSF/W 33767 Ethiopian Airlines F
14-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis HZ-ASAA Airbus A321 251NXSL 11200 Saudi Arabian Airlines F
14-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis OE-IWW Airbus A320 214SL 6257 easyJet Europe F
14-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis SE-ROA Airbus A320 251NSL 7602 Scandinavian Airlines System F
14-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis SU-GFV Airbus A321 251NXSL 11445 Egyptair F
14-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis SX-GRB Airbus A321 251NSL 8575 Sky Express Greece F
14-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis SX-HGD Robinson R66 Turbine Marine 0968 Private F
14-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis VH-LAL Gulfstream Aerospace G650 ER 6138 Little Aviation F

15-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 4123 Alenia C-27J 4123 Greek Air Force F
15-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-WDM Airbus A321 271NXSL 11273 Wizz Air Malta F
15-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis EI-HJD Airbus A320 272NSL 11313 Italia Trasporto Aereo F
15-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis EI-KGF Airbus A321 271NXSL 10427 Air Astana F
15-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis F-HUYY Boeing 737NG 8GP/W 39828 Transavia France F
15-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis LY-NFK Airbus A321 231SL 6511 Condor Flugdienst F
15-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis N112SK Cirrus Design SR22 4821 Private F
15-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis N279GX Airbus A320 214 3605 TUI Airlines Netherlands F
15-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis N828TK Bombardier Challenger 605 5897 Pan Asia Property F
15-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis SX-AQD Textron Aviation 208 B EX 208B5559 Cycladic Air F
15-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis SX-HRM Robinson R66 Turbine Marine 1423 Superior Air F
15-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis UR-FSA Ilyushin IL-76 TD 0093498974 Fly Sky Airlines Ukraine F

16-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 474 Lockheed C-130H Hercules 5252 Royal Saudi Air Force F
16-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-SWC Airbus A320 232 3734 British Airways F
16-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis HS-PGB Avions de Transport Regional ATR 72 500 708 Bangkok Airways F
16-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis HZ-NS42 Airbus A320 251NSL 10550 Flynas F
16-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis HZ-NS56 Airbus A320 251NSL 11289 Flynas F
16-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis LY-NVN Airbus A320 214 4448 Pegasus Airlines F
16-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis LY-WSM Airbus A320 232 2531 Smartwings F
16-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis SU-TCM Airbus A321 231SL 5774 Almasria Universal Airlines F
16-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis SX-NEI Airbus A320 271NSL 11338 Aegean Airlines F
16-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis TC-GRB Airbus A330 223 1266 Southwind Airlines F
16-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis YL-ABQ Airbus A220 300 55238 Air Baltic F

17-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-MLV Airbus A320 233 4118 Avion Express F
17-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis EI-IND Airbus A320 271NSL 11461 Italia Trasporto Aereo F
17-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis I-AVGP Piaggio P.180 Avanti II 1195 ENAV Flight Inspection F
17-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis JA06MC Airbus A320 214 4720 StarFlyer F
17-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis N90EW Bombardier Global Express 9039 Corporate F
17-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis N93GL Cirrus Design SR22T 9370 Private F
17-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis OE-IBS Airbus A320 214SL 6422 easyJet Europe F
17-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis OO-ETB Embraer EMB-195 E2 19020049 TUI Airlines Belgium F
17-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis SU-GFT Airbus A321 251NXSL 11341 Egyptair F
17-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis T7-CHS Bombardier Global 7500 70118 Royal Jet F
17-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis VH-FFM Air Tractor AT-802 802-0416 Conair Aviation F
17-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis VH-JQW Air Tractor AT-802 A 802A-0260 Private F
17-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis VP-CZC Gulfstream Aerospace G650 ER 6229 Jet Aviation Business Jets AG F

18-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 404 Textron Aviation King Air 350CER FM-89 Greek Air Force F
18-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis EC-OAU Airbus A321 271NXSL 11439 Iberia Express F
18-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis HZ-NS29 Airbus A320 251NSL 9522 Flynas F
18-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis SU-GFU Airbus A321 251NXSL 11352 Egyptair F
18-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis TC-LTU Airbus A321 271NXSL 11239 AnadoluJet F
18-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis YR-JUL Airbus A320 232 3863 Air Serbia F

19-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 5A-BRD Airbus A320 214 4519 Berniq Airways F

[graham]

These are the scrapes..

Date Location Regn Type C/No Operator St Notes
09-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-HFH Airbus A330 202 950 HiFly Malta N

10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 5Y-KZJ Boeing 787 8 36046 Kenya Airways N
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-EWB Airbus A320 214SL 6992 Eurowings N
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-KAR Boeing 737NG 86J/W 36884 Bluebird Airways N
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-LAW Boeing 737 4K5 24901 Air Horizont N
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-SWA Airbus A320 232 3807 Eurowings N
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-WZU Airbus A320 232SL 5608 Wizz Air Malta N
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis F-HUYT Boeing 737NG 8K5/W 37252 Transavia France N
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis LY-BGH Hawker Beechcraft Corp Hawker 750 HB-65 Classic Jet N
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis LZ-FBH Airbus A320 214SL 7238 Bulgaria Air N
10-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis SP-LVH Boeing 737MAX 8 43306 LOT Polish Airlines N

11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 5A-OSA Airbus A330 243 345 Fly Oya International N
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-EXP Airbus A319 132 4227 Eurowings N
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-EXW Airbus A319 132 5535 Eurowings N
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-MLU Airbus A320 232 4621 Eurowings N
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-WAL Airbus A321 271NXSL 10336 Wizz Air Malta N
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis LZ-FBI Airbus A320 214SL 7264 Bulgaria Air N
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis LZ-FSC Airbus A321 231 1711 Fly2Sky N
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis SE-RGD Airbus A319 112 3346 Braathens International Airways N
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis SX-OBI Avions de Transport Regional ATR 72 600 1295 Olympic Air N
11-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis YR-FIA Airbus A320 233 3524 Fly One N

12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9A-MUC Airbus A319 112 4691 SundAir N
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-648FX Gulfstream Aerospace G650 6146 Flexjet Operations Malta N
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-AMU Airbus A320 232 4174 Eurowings N
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-EXR Airbus A319 132 4285 Eurowings N
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-WAI Airbus A321 271NXSL 10460 Wizz Air Malta N
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis HB-JOK Airbus A320 214 3923 Chair Airlines N
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis HZ-NE24 Airbus A330 343E 1607 Flynas N
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis LY-TRE Boeing 737NG 8FE/W 34013 GetJet Airlines N
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis LZ-LAK Airbus A320 214 1615 Condor Flugdienst N
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis N616MP Dassault Falcon 7X 67 Executive Jet Management N
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis OE-IXH Boeing 737NG 8AS/W 29927 ASL Airlines Belgium N
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis SU-RSA Boeing 737NG 82R/W 35702 Red Sea Airlines N
12-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis YR-AGB Airbus A320 232 3316 Animawings N

13-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-AML Airbus A320 232 2594 Avion Express Malta N
13-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-HYA Boeing 737MAX 8 64606 SmartLynx Airlines Malta N
13-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-LNS Boeing 787 9 63311 Norwegian Long Haul N
13-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-SWB Airbus A320 232 3947 Eurowings N
13-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-SWJ Airbus A320 232 3354 Chair Airlines N
13-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis EC-NQN Airbus A320 214 4675 Volotea N
13-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis F-HUYH Boeing 737NG 86N/W 38038 Transavia France N
13-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis LY-KUA Boeing 737NG 83N/W 28244 GetJet Airlines N
13-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis LZ-LAI Airbus A320 214 1873 European Air Charter N

14-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-CXG Boeing 737NG 8K5/W 37254 Corendon Airlines Europe N
14-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-MLE Airbus A320 214 4767 Eurowings N
14-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis D-AMAY Boeing 737MAX 8 44592 TUIfly N
14-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis LY-PNG Airbus A320 216 4075 Smartwings N
14-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis SU-NMG Airbus A320 214 5171 Nesma Airlines N
14-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis TC-GCA Airbus A321 211(P2F) 2005 BBN Airlines N

15-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 358 Lockheed C-130H Hercules 4651 Royal Jordanian Air Force N
15-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-DRA Boeing 737MAX 8 42827 SmartLynx Airlines Malta N
15-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-EWA Airbus A320 214SL 6953 Eurowings N
15-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-NZL Airbus A320 214 2388 Heston Airlines N
15-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis D-AEUA Airbus A321 211(P2F) 1988 Lufthansa Cargo Airlines N
15-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis D-ATYM Boeing 737NG 8K5/W 37242 TUIfly N
15-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis N53WG Gulfstream Aerospace G300 1505 Nxt Jet N
15-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis N604GF Bombardier Challenger 604 5399 Groupe Forrest International SA N

16-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 4L-EFC Airbus A300 B4-203(F) 210 Easy Charter N
16-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-CXH Boeing 737NG 800/W 60177 Corendon Airlines Europe N
16-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis A6-WAD Airbus A321 231SL 8644 Wizz Air Abu Dhabi N

17-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 5A-TAJ Airbus A320 232 4023 Crown Airlines N
17-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-EXQ Airbus A319 132 4256 Eurowings N
17-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis F-GZAR Diamond Aircraft Diamond Star DA40D D4.032 Private N
17-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis F-HUYJ Boeing 737NG 86N/W 41266 Transavia France N
17-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis F-HUYS Boeing 737NG 8K5/W 37248 Transavia France N
17-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis LY-MHL Airbus A320 216 4108 Marabu Airlines N

18-Sep-2023 Heraklion Kazantzakis 9H-AZC Boeing 747 4H6 29900 Saudi Arabian Airlines N

[rugbyref]

Not bad for a non spotting specific trip!

[graham]

Aaahh, Phil, the Missus knows all too well that any trip to Crete is ALWAYS a spotting trip...😄

[cornwall01]

Hi Graham

There are some photos of a Mil 8 UP-MI810 at Heraklion in July 2022 on Flickr. A friend of mine also saw it there in September 2022 but not sure whether it is still there.

Ray (Cornwall 01)

[graham]

Hi Ray

Apologies, I've been laid up with Covid for a few days and have only just seen your post here. There was a report on FCG from a chap who flew in to Heraklion a day or two after we left, he saw a Mil-8 in exactly the same spot I saw it and positively ID'd it as UP-MI808 so I guess that now raises the question of "which one did I see?" or did I possibly see both but ten days apart between our arrival and departure?

Thanks for the help, much appreciated.

[deke]

Terrific log Graham, seems like shooting fish in a barrel.
Found out some friends of ours have had Covid, caught guess where, Crete! They were there same time as you, hope he wasn't yer man coughing a couple of rows behind you on the plane!

[graham]

Thanks Deke, Crete and Rhodes are my favourite Greek islands for "filling yer boots", I always make a hatful in both although sitting beneath inbounds in Crete is a surefire way to fill in the gaps. Not having been to Crete since 2018, there were also loads of scrapes to catch up with. This year saw everything trailing which was an added bonus as they often don't. All the OTTs coming up from the Gulf/Egypt/Israel cross the island somewhere around Agios Nikoloas which is about 30km east of where we stay and even if they're not trailing, I now know exactly where to look with the bins.

To be fair, the only time the good lady has had a moan ( and I can't blame her..) was when we went to Kefalonia in 2017, I'd booked the Ammes apartments at Svoronata knowing they were close to the airport but when the first inbound Vueling went over our swimming pool at a hundred feet, I did get a bit of a bollocking. Fortunately, the airport there is small and has a fraction of the movements you'd find at Crete or Rhodes and, as with so many Greek islands, with the wind blowing from the same direction for much of the year, at least she didn't have to contend with the racket from any departures.

How odd that your friends caught Covid too, we were on EZY8216 Heraklion-LGW on the 19th September, this chap was coughing all the way home so I wonder how many more on our flight took an additional duty free gift home with them?

[billsamuels]

Terrific selection G. I wonder where Caroline would choose to stay!!

Probably at the far end of the Island(s)….

😂

Bill 

[graham]

LOL Bill, she dosn't mind Crete at all, everything goes over at between 2500-3500ft and to be honest, you can hardly hear them. She started "spotting" while we were there, she'd look up at the first sound of some engines and say, "ooohh look, there goes a TUI" or something similar. She can definitely recognise several airlines now.