Chania's Air Force memorial honours the airmen of the Hellenic Air Force who lost their lives on duty, especially those from Chania and Rethymno and those who served with the 115 Combat Wing at nearby Souda. Its centrepiece is a statue of Icarus, a fitting choice on Crete, the island from which, in the myth, Icarus and his father Daedalus escaped on wings of feathers and wax.
The Air Force Memorial at a glance
- Where: on the eastern side of Chania's old town, a short walk from the Venetian Sabbionara bastion.
- Dedicated to: airmen of the Hellenic Air Force who died in service, with particular links to Chania, Rethymno and the 115 Combat Wing.
- What it is today: the place where the Air Force and the city hold remembrance ceremonies, and a quiet stop on a walk around the old walls.
- Time needed: 10 to 15 minutes, longer if you continue along the walls and the seafront.
Why Chania remembers its airmen
Chania has close ties to the Hellenic Air Force. The 115 Combat Wing is based at Souda, just east of the city, and its fighter jets are a familiar sound over the bay. The Air Force became a separate branch of the Greek armed forces in 1930, and over the decades many of its pilots and ground crew have died in accidents, training flights and operations over the Aegean. Some of them came from western Crete, and families here keep their memory alive.
One name often recalled is Kostas Iliakis, a pilot born in Chania, who was killed in May 2006 when his F-16 collided with a Turkish fighter near the island of Karpathos; remembrance events for him are held every year. The memorial gives such commemorations a permanent place in the city. Officers, relatives and local officials gather here to lay wreaths, and the statue of Icarus stands over them as a symbol of courage, self-sacrifice and the risks of flight.
What to look for
- The statue of Icarus at the centre of the memorial, chosen as a symbol of daring and of lives given in the pursuit of the sky.
- Wreaths and flowers: after the main ceremonies they are often left at the foot of the monument for some time.
- The setting close to the Venetian fortifications, where a modern Greek memorial and 16th-century defences share the same corner of town.
- The sky above: with an active air base at Souda, you may well hear or see military aircraft while you are here.
Icarus, a Cretan story
In Greek myth, Daedalus, the inventor who built the Labyrinth for King Minos at Knossos, was held on Crete with his son Icarus. To escape, he made wings of feathers fixed with wax and warned Icarus to fly neither too low, where sea spray would soak the feathers, nor too high, where the sun would melt the wax. Icarus climbed too high and fell into the sea, which, the story says, took his name near the island of Ikaria. For airmen the myth is about daring as much as falling, which is why Icarus also stands on the Memorial to the Fallen Aviators in Athens.
Tips for your visit
- Come in the early morning or late afternoon, when the light is softer and the streets of the eastern old town are quiet.
- This is a memorial to people who died in service: keep your voice down, don't climb on it, and step back if a ceremony is taking place.
- The Hellenic Air Force celebrates its patron, the Archangel Michael, on 8 November, so expect official events around that date.
- Combine the visit with a walk along the eastern walls to the Sabbionara bastion and then into the Splantzia quarter.
Nearby
- Sabbionara bastion: the Venetian bastion at the north-eastern corner of the old town walls, with views over the sea.
- Koum Kapi: the seafront just outside the eastern walls, with a promenade and cafés by the water.
- Church of Agios Nikolaos in Splantzia: once a mosque, it is one of the few churches with both a minaret and a bell tower.
- The old harbour and lighthouse: the Venetian harbour with its long breakwater, a pleasant walk west along the water.
See Chania with World City Trail
Our Chania scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around two hours, with about 42 minutes of walking. The Air Force memorial is one of the stops, along with the Sabbionara bastion, the Etz Hayyim Synagogue and the Firkas fortress.
If you prefer a different format, Chania also has a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game.
Play the Chania scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Chania →
Play the outdoor escape game in Chania →
Facts checked in October 2026.