A new airport in Kastelli, on the large island of Crete, is scheduled to open in 2014, Environment, Town Planning and Public Works Minister George Souflias said during a meeting with local administration officials in Irakleio, Crete on Tuesday.

Tenders will be considered in May and a contractor will undertake the 1.2-million-euro project by the end of the year. Construction of a new road linking the airport with the north and south road axes on Crete will be included in related infrastructure projects.

The airport, auxiliary facilities and infrastructure will cover an area of 600 hectares, including a 3.8-km-long runway to accommodate large aircraft and meet the island's needs in air transportation.

Roughly 1,000 jobs are expected to be created during the construction phase, while 2,500 people will be employed as airport staff.

Thirty major projects with a total budget of 500 million euros are currently under scheduled for Crete.