Athens International Airport

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Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos (Template:Comma separated entries), commonly initialised as AIA, is the largest international airport in Greece, serving the city of Athens and region of Attica. It began operation on 28 March 2001 (in time for the 2004 Summer Olympics) and is the main base of Aegean Airlines, as well as other smaller Greek airlines. It replaced the old Ellinikon International Airport.[1]

Athens International Airport is currently a member of Group 1 of Airports Council International (over 25 million passengers).[2] Template:As of, it is the 16th-busiest airport in Europe and the second busiest and second largest in the Balkans, after Istanbul Airport.

The new Athens International Airport covers an expanse of Template:Convert, making the facility among the largest in Europe and in the world in terms of land area.[3]

History

Development and ownership

File:New Athens International Airport (juillet 2000) - 7.jpg
Terminal VOR/DME at Athens International Airport

AIA is located between the towns of Markopoulo, Koropi, Spata and Loutsa, about Template:Convert to the east of central Athens (Template:Convert by road, due to intervening hills). The airport is named after Elefthérios Venizélos, the prominent Cretan political figure and Prime Minister of Greece, who made a significant contribution to the development of Greek aviation and the Hellenic Air Force in the 1930s.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". As to-date, the airport is operated by AIA S.A. and ownership is divided between the Hellenic Republic (Greek State) and Private Sector in a 55%-45% stake following a PPP scheme for the airport company.[4] Currently, private investors include the Copelouzos Group (5%)[5] and PSP Investments of Canada (40%), following purchase of Hochtief's shares.[6]

The airport was constructed to replace the now-closed Athens (Ellinikon) International Airport, as the latter had reached its saturation point with no physical space for further growth.[7] Studies for a new airport had been carried out from as early as the 1970s, with as many as 19 different locations being looked at before an area close to the town of Spata was chosen as suitable.[7] Athens Airport SA, a state-owned company, was established in 1978 to proceed with the plans. However, after delays and slow development, the project was revived in 1991, approximately 1 year after the city lost the right to host the 1996 Summer Olympics to Atlanta, USA and the possibility of submitting a bid for the 2000 Game was discussed. However, the city presented the project that was eventually the winner for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games, with the then government launching an international tender for the selection of a build-own-operate-transfer partner for the airport project, with Hochtief of Germany being selected.[7]

In 1996, Athens International Airport S.A. (AIA) was established as a Public–private partnership with a 30-year concession agreement.[8] That same year, the €2.1 billion development finally began with an estimated completion date of February 2001. The airport construction was completed five months before schedule, but was delayed opening a month due to surface connections to Attiki Odos not being completed.[7] The airport officially opened on 28 March 2001.[9] Its major features include two parallel runways being Template:Convert and Template:Convert long respectively. The airport has received approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency[10] and the Federal Aviation Administration[10] for take-offs and landings of the biggest passenger jet worldwide, the A380.[10] The first ever A380 to visit 'Eleftherios Venizelos' Athens International Airport made an emergency landing on 13 April 2011 for emergency medical reasons. The first scheduled A380 flight took place on 26 October 2012 by Emirates.[11]

Greek government debt-crisis impact (2009–2013)

The Greek government-debt crisis reduced the overall passenger traffic of the airport for six consecutive years. Many long-haul airlines outright terminated service to the airport, while others chose to operate on a seasonal basis only, opting to terminate service during the winter months.[12] Moreover, these problems were further exacerbated by the closure of Olympic Airlines, which operated many long-haul flights to and from the airport. In 2013, the airport handled just above 12.5 million passengers, 3.2% fewer than in 2012 and lower by approximately 25% when compared to 2007's traffic, which was the all-time-high at that time.[8]

Recovery and new levels of passenger traffic (2014–2015)

2014 signaled a strong recovery for the airport's passenger traffic. More than ten new airlines started new flights to and from Athens. Aegean Airlines strengthened its network by 30% (with many more destinations scheduled for 2015) while Ryanair established a new base in the Athens Airport and added eight destinations. During 2014 the airport operators reported a passenger traffic volume of 15.1 million passengers, an increase of over 21%. This was the result of new destinations, and capacity increases on existing routes, such as the resumption of flights by Singapore Airlines and Gulf Air,[13][14] and the decision by Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways to fly more frequently to and from Athens.[15][16][17] Delta Air Line resumed their weekly flights and American Airlines retained their seasonal schedules to/from USA with even more frequent connectivity. From 2017 onwards, year-round services to Singapore were scheduled to resume after more than five years, with flights operated by Scoot.

According to AIA published statistics, total traffic for 2015 achieved an impressive performance reaching almost 18.1 million passengers, an all-time-record for the airport at that time, increased by 19% on year-over-year basis[18] and by 1.55 million (+9.4%) the previous best, which was the pre-crisis year 2007. In addition, over the same period, aircraft traffic exhibited a solid growth of 14% year-over-year.[19] Moreover, in 2015 a significant rise (+38%) was recorded by transfer passengers, with the international to international transfer traffic marking an impressive increase (+60%) demonstrating the significant enhancement of the Athens airport connectivity.

Exceeding twenty million passengers (2016–2023) and beyond

2016 was a landmark year for the Athens International Airport, both for domestic and international destinations. Annual results reflected a solid performance for a third year in a row fueled by double-digit growth, this time passing the twenty million mark, increased by 10.7% on year-over-year basis.[20] Healthy growth continued in 2017 with the airport showing traffic increase of 8.6% to a total of 21.7 million passengers, yet another all-time record for the Athens airport.[21] During 2018, the airport achieved yet another record high, reporting increased passenger traffic by 11% to more than 24.1 million passengers.[22] Equally, aircraft traffic achieved a new record with a reported annual growth of 10.8% to 217,094 movements.[23]

For the first ten months of 2023, the airport traffic shows signs of further increase with passenger numbers up by 19.5%[24] to 24.4 million passengers and aircraft movements up by 15.2%. By the end of 2023, Athens saw about 28.17 million international and domestic passengers. This is a 10.2% increase from 2019.[25]

In the second half of June 2018 Emirates added an extra daily flight from its base in Dubai Airport using the Airbus A380 superjumbo,[26] marking the first time the "superjumbo" operated at the airport with a scheduled flight for a long period of time. The A380 service was continued until the end of August 2018.[27]

Terminals

File:Check in area - Athens Airport.jpg
Check-in area
File:Athens airport waiting area.jpg
Waiting area

Overview

The airport currently has two terminals, the main terminal and the satellite terminal accessible by an underground link from the main terminal. It is designed to be extended in a modular approach over the ensuing years in order to accommodate increases in air travel. These extensions are planned in a six-phase framework. The first (and current) phase allowed the airport to accommodate 26 million passengers per year. When the airport originally opened, the current phase called for a capacity of only 16 million passengers per year; however, the capacity was able to increase without progressing to the next phase thanks to advanced IT logistics.[28] The sixth and final expansion phase will allow the airport to accommodate an annual traffic of 50 million passengers, with the current layout leaving enough space for five more terminals to be added.[7] As such, the parallel runway system currently in place has been designed to accommodate flight traffic with this high equivalent annual passenger load upon completion of the final expansion phase.[28]

Main Terminal

The main terminal building handles all intra-Schengen flights, as well as several non-Schengen flights. All of the airport's 153 check-in desks are located in the Main Terminal and it has three separate levels, one for arrivals, one for departures and a food court level complete with a view of the eastern runway. Finally, the terminal is equipped with fourteen jet bridges and eleven belt conveyors for luggage.

  • Hall A is used for flights to Non-schengen countries and Non-European countries.
  • Hall B handles flights to Intra-schengen countries as well as domestic services.

In March 2018, the Athens International Airport issued a tender for its first physical expansion, concerning the south wings of the main terminal.[29] The tender called for a building expansion with a total area of approximately 14,950 square meters over five levels (levels 0 to 4). The construction company to build the expansion was awarded in summer 2018, and the project was scheduled to be completed by mid-2019. It was to add 18 more counter check-in decks as well as additional space for arrivals, departures, security and an automated control gate. It also planned to add an expanded shopping area and new lounges by mid-2020.

Satellite Terminal

The satellite terminal has two levels, one for arrivals and the other for departures.[28] It is easily accessible through an underground link complete with moving walkways. The terminal is equipped with ten jet bridges and is capable of handling annual traffic of six million passengers.

In recent years its parking stands were utilized for long-term storage of airliners, specifically two ex-Olympic Airways Airbus A340-300s (both aircraft were transferred to its new owner in February 2017)[30] and a Boeing 767-300ER of defunct Greek start-up carrier SkyGreece Airlines. However, as of June 2017, the parking space of the satellite terminal is in full use for both Schengen and non-Schengen area flights and to accommodate increased traffic. From June 2017 some low-cost carriers were using it. On 24 May 2018, the Satellite Terminal officially restarted full operations. The airlines using it are Ryanair, Easyjet, Vueling, Eurowings, Norwegian, Transavia and Transavia France, TUIfly Belgium, Wizz Air, Delta Air Lines and Air Transat.

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Athens Airport: Template:Airport-dest-list

Statistics

Athens International Airport is the largest and busiest airport in Greece. By the end of 2024, it was the 16th-busiest airport in Europe.[8]

Annual statistics

Passenger, aircraft movement and cargo statistics at "El. Venizelos" airport: 2002–2025[8][31]
Year Passenger
traffic
Passenger
% change
Cargo
handled (kg.)
Cargo
% change
Aircraft
movements
Aircraft
% change
2002 11,827,448 Template:Sort Steady 106,813,249 Template:Sort Steady 159,467 Template:Sort Steady
2003 12,252,394 3.6 Increase 109,741,122 2.7 Increase 170,129 6.7 Increase
2004 13,662,332 11.5 Increase 118,999,247 8.4 Increase 191,048 12.3 Increase
2005 14,281,020 4.5 Increase 115,942,974 Template:Sort Decrease 180,936 Template:Sort Decrease
2006 15,079,708 5.6 Increase 120,174,745 3.6 Increase 190,872 5.6 Increase
2007 16,538,403 9.7 Increase 118,972,376 Template:Sort Decrease 205,295 7.6 Increase
2008 16,466,491 Template:Sort Decrease 122,195,965 2.7 Increase 199,418 Template:Sort Decrease
2009 16,225,589 Template:Sort Decrease 104,520,932 Template:Sort Decrease 210,147 5.4 Increase
2010 15,411,099 Template:Sort Decrease 96,676,103 Template:Sort Decrease 191,766 Template:Sort Decrease
2011 14,446,971 Template:Sort Decrease 85,831,845 Template:Sort Decrease 173,296 Template:Sort Decrease
2012 12,944,041 Template:Sort Decrease 76,424,557 Template:Sort Decrease 153,295 Template:Sort Decrease
2013 12,536,057 Template:Sort Decrease 74,874,633 Template:Sort Decrease 140,448 Template:Sort Decrease
2014 15,196,369 21.2 Increase 77,337,956 3.3 Increase 154,530 10.0 Increase
2015 18,087,377 19.0 Increase 80,475,761 4.0 Increase 176,156 14.0 Increase
2016 20,016,998 10.7 Increase 88,477,196 9.9 Increase 189,137 7.4 Increase
2017 21,737,787 8.6 Increase 90,176,471 1.9 Increase 195,951 3.6 Increase
2018 24,135,736 11.0 Increase 92,573,026 3.1 Increase 217,094 10.8 Increase
2019 25,573,993 6.0 Increase 94,621,875 1.5 Increase 225,628 3.9 Increase
2020 8,078,394 Template:Sort Decrease 75,783,363 Template:Sort Decrease 112,415 Template:Sort Decrease
2021 12,345,786 52.8 Increase 96,907,000 27.9 Increase 158,950 41.4 Increase
2022 22,728,750 84.1 Increase 106,103,811 6.8 Increase 213,352 34.2 Increase
2023 28,174,150 24.0 Increase 94,000,348 Template:Sort Decrease 241,604 13.2 Increase
2024 31,854,761 13.1 Increase 124,960,801 Template:Sort Increase 268,301 11,0 Increase
2025 (Oct) 29,328,750 6.4 Increase -- Template:Sort Steady 244,500 5.4 Increase

Busiest passenger routes by country

The table below shows passenger totals at Athens International Airport by country destination during 2024, and changes compared to 2023.[32]

Passenger traffic per country destination (2024)
Rank Country destination Passengers Change %
0 Script error: No such module "flag". 9,380,529 Increase7.3%
1 Script error: No such module "flag". 2,254,842 Increase21.9%
2 Template:GER 2,154,707 Increase15.1%
3 Script error: No such module "flag". 1,956,957 Increase5.5%
4 Script error: No such module "flag". 1,528,375 Increase9.9%
5 Script error: No such module "flag". 1,401,271 Increase13.4%
6 Script error: No such module "flag". 1,199,251 Increase22.8%
7 Script error: No such module "flag". 1,185,376 Increase28.2%
8 Script error: No such module "flag". 1,014,339 Increase15.7%
9 Script error: No such module "flag". 949,291 Increase23.7%
10 Template:SWI 830,995 Increase9,6%

Airline market share 2024

Top airlines at Athens [32]
Rank Airline Market share
1 Template:Flagicon Aegean Airlines 43.6%
Template:Flagicon Olympic Air
2 Template:Flagicon Sky Express 12.0%
3 Template:Flagicon Ryanair 5.7%
4 Template:Flagicon Lufthansa 2.5%
5 Template:Flagicon Volotea 2.3%
6 Template:Flagicon Turkish Airlines 1.7%
7 Template:Flagicon EasyJet 1.5%
8 Template:Flagicon Emirates 1.5%
9 Template:Flagicon Delta Air Lines 1.5%
10 Template:Flagicon British Airways 1.4%

Airline alliance market share 2024

Top airlines alliances at Athens [32]
Rank Airline alliance Market Share
1 Star Alliance 51.6%
2 SkyTeam 5.3%
3 Oneworld 4.0%
4 Non-allied carriers 39.1%

Passengers 2024

Busiest European destinations from Athens Airport [32]
Rank Destination Airport(s) Passengers Top carriers
1 Template:Flagicon London LHR, LGW, STN 1,666,476 Aegean Airlines, British Airways, easyJet, Jet2.com, Ryanair, Sky Express, Wizz Air
2 Template:Flagicon Larnaca LCA 1,300,765 Aegean Airlines, Cyprus Airways, Gulf Air, Sky Express, Wizz Air
3 Template:Flagicon Istanbul IST, SAW 1,134,984 Aegean Airlines, Pegasus Airlines, Sky Express, Turkish Airlines
4 Template:Flagicon Paris CDG, ORY 1,024,354 Aegean Airlines, Air France, easyJet, Sky Express, Transavia France
5 Template:Flagicon Rome FCO, CIA 842,983 Aegean Airlines, ITA Airways, Ryanair, Sky Express
6 Template:Flagicon Milan MXP, BGY 741,498 Aegean Airlines, easyJet, Ryanair, Sky Express, Wizz Air
7 Template:Flagicon Munich MUC 703,730 Aegean Airlines, Lufthansa, Sky Express
8 Template:Flagicon Frankfurt FRA 681,569 Aegean Airlines, Lufthansa, Sky Express
9 Template:Flagicon Amsterdam AMS 601,885 Aegean Airlines, KLM, Sky Express, Transavia
10 Template:Flagicon Vienna VIE 516,623 Aegean Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Ryanair, Sky Express
Busiest intercontinental destinations from Athens Airport [32]
Rank Destination Airport(s) Passengers Carriers
1 Template:Flagicon Tel Aviv TLV 949,291 Aegean Airlines, Arkia, Bluebird Airways, El Al, Israir, Ryanair, Sky Express, Wizz Air
2 Template:Flagicon New York JFK, EWR 683,560 American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, Norse Atlantic Airways, United Airlines
3 Template:Flagicon Cairo CAI 317,537 Aegean Airlines, EgyptAir
4 Template:Flagicon Doha DOH 308,432 Qatar Airways
5 Template:Flagicon Dubai DXB 307,696 Aegean Airlines, Emirates
6 Template:Flagicon Toronto YYZ 214,224 Air Canada, Air Transat
7 Template:Flagicon Abu Dhabi AUH 210,841 Aegean Airlines, Etihad Airways, Wizz Air
8 Template:Flagicon Montreal YUL 207,335 Air Canada, Air Transat
9 Template:Flagicon Atlanta ATL 136,351 Delta Air Lines
10 Template:Flagicon Chicago ORD 135,979 American Airlines, United Airlines
Busiest domestic destinations from Athens Airport [32]
Rank Destination Region Airport Passengers Carriers
1 Thessaloniki Macedonia SKG 1,571,903 Aegean Airlines, Sky Express
2 Heraklion Crete HER 1,378,143 Aegean Airlines, Sky Express, Volotea
3 Santorini South Aegean JTR 1,278,848 Aegean Airlines, Ryanair, Sky Express, Volotea
4 Chania Crete CHQ 772,119 Aegean Airlines, Ryanair, Sky Express
5 Rhodes South Aegean RHO 723,593 Aegean Airlines, Sky Express
6 Mykonos South Aegean JMK 517,244 Aegean Airlines, Sky Express, Volotea
7 Corfu Ionian Islands CFU 380,276 Aegean Airlines, Ryanair, Sky Express
8 Paros South Aegean PAS 342,671 Olympic Air, Sky Express
9 Mytilene North Aegean MJT 314,572 Aegean Airlines, Sky Express
10 Alexandroupolis Thrace AXD 291,671 Aegean Airlines, Sky Express

Ground transport

Railway and Metro

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File:Athens airport Metro station.jpg
Metro station
File:Athens Airport suburban rail and metro station.jpg
Station's platforms

A railway station is immediately adjacent to the airport terminal, accessible by an elevated walkway. Athens Metro line 3 and the suburban railway service Proastiakos run trains to and from this station.[33]

Road

The airport is accessible by the Attiki Odos toll highway from the centre and northern Athens, Varis-Koropiou Avenue from the western part, Laurio Ave. from the South, and Spata-Loutsa Avenue from the East. A variety of parking options are available on site at the airport in three different parking lots. Located at the arrivals level, opposite the airport terminal, the airport offers short-term parking for up to five hours with 1,357 parking spaces available in lots P1 and P2.[34] Long-term parking is located across the airport's main access road (Attiki Odos) with 5,802 parking spaces in lot P3.[35] A free shuttle bus is available to transport passengers, while the lots are also accessible by foot to the terminal. Premium valet service is also offered at the Departures level by Entrance 3.[36]

Taxi

Taxis are available at the designated taxi waiting area located at exit 3 of the arrivals level.[37] Taxis from Athens International Airport to the city center have a flat rate of 40€ during the day (05:00-23:59) and 55€ at night (00:00-04:59). Limousine service is also available upon request by the inner curbside of the arrivals level between exits 3 and 4.

Bus

Four bus lines (X93, X95, X96, X97)[38] connect directly to the Athens greater area, X95 starts from Syntagma square, X93 connects the airport to intercity bus stations (KTEL Kifissos Bus Terminal and Liosion bus terminal), X96 to Athens main port Piraeus and X97 to Elliniko metro station the Southern terminal of Line 2.[39] Buses disembark passengers at the departures level and depart from the arrivals level between exits 4 and 5.[39] Regional bus services by KTEL Express operate to the airport, currently connecting the airport to Rafina, Markopoulo, Lavrio, Kalyvia and Keratea.[39]

Other facilities

File:Retail Park.jpg
Aerial view of the retail park
  • The Greek fast food company Goody's S.A. has its head office in Building 14B.[44]
  • Sofitel Hotel
  • Retail Park
  • Script error: No such module "anchor".Two robotic systems, named Hercules and Ulysses, are used by the airport for the handling of potentially dangerous materials. They were donated by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.[45]

See also

References

Template:Reflist

External links

Template:Airports in Greece Template:Portal bar Template:Authority control

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  41. "Travelair Club / Partners Terms and Conditions." (Archive) Olympic Air. Retrieved on 6 April 2013. Under "Delta Air Lines" tab: "It is clarified that, boarding pass as well as original ticket must be forwarded as evidence to the following mail address: Olympic Air, Travelair Club department, Athens International Airport, Building 57, 190 19, Spata, Greece." Greek (Archive): "Olympic Air, Τμήμα Travelair Club, Διεθνής αερολιμένας Αθηνών, Κτίριο 57, Τ.Κ. 190 19, Σπάτα"
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