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39-675: Construction of the A6 motorway began in 1996. Part of it was opened, along with the Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport to which it connects, in March 2001. In early 2003, the A6 was opened from Kifisias Avenue Interchange to Eleftherios Venizelos Airport; the Ymittos Ring was almost paved by this time, and tunnels were already complete. On 3 September 2003, the Ymittos Ring opened. This part of

78-768: 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 , Brussels Airlines , Aer Lingus , Air Transat and Scoot . The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Athens Airport: Athens International Airport

117-524: 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. The satellite terminal has two levels, one for arrivals and

156-668: A municipality in East Attica, Greece . The municipality has an area of 81.844 km (31.600 sq mi). The municipality Markopoulo Mesogaias is situated in the Mesogaia plain, in the eastern part of the Attica peninsula, and touches the Aegean Sea coast in the east, where the port town Porto Rafti is located. The town Markopoulo is in the western part of the municipality, at about 80 m (260 ft) elevation. It

195-956: A new base in the Athens Airport and added eight destinations. The airport company recorded an increase in passenger traffic in excess of 21% during 2014, reaching 15.1 million passengers, resulted both by new destinations but also by increased capacity offered on established ones. Characteristically, Singapore and Gulf Air resumed flights while Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways fly more frequently to/from Athens. 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

234-473: 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. The sixth and final expansion phase will allow the airport to accommodate an annual traffic of 50 million passengers, with

273-554: Is 5 km (3.1 mi) north of Kalyvia Thorikou , 6 km (3.7 mi) east of Koropi and 21 km (13 mi) southeast of Athens city centre. Greek National Road 89 (Gerakas - Koropi - Lavrio - Sounio) passes through Markopoulo. Athens International Airport is 4 km (2.5 mi) north of the town. Markopoulo had a railway station on the Athens–Lavrion Railway , which closed for passenger traffic in 1957. Markopoulo along with Malakasa, Kakosalesi and Spata

312-654: 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. Long-term parking

351-502: Is located across the airport's main access road (Attiki Odos) with 5,802 parking spaces in lot P3. 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. Taxis are available at the designated taxi waiting area located at exit 3 of the arrivals level. Taxis from Athens International Airport to

390-546: 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. 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

429-681: Is one of the earliest villages formed by Albanian settlers in medieval Attica and it had already appeared by 1456. As such, Markopoulo has historically been an Arvanite settlement. Markopoulo was the home to two venues of the 2004 Summer Olympics : the Markopoulo Olympic Equestrian Centre and the Markopoulo Olympic Shooting Centre . Markopoulo's women volleyball team plays in the A1 Ethniki Women's Volleyball ,

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468-584: Is the largest and busiest airport in Greece. By the end of 2023, it was the 18th-busiest airport in Europe . The table below shows passenger totals at Athens International Airport by country destination during 2023, and changes compared to 2022. 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. The airport

507-404: 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 . Athens International Airport is currently a member of Group 1 of Airports Council International (over 25 million passengers). As of 2023 , it is the 18th-busiest airport in Europe and the second busiest and second largest in

546-662: The European Aviation Safety Agency and the Federal Aviation Administration for take-offs and landings of the biggest passenger jet worldwide, the A380 . 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 . The Greek government-debt crisis reduced

585-412: 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. 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

624-481: The A6. Attiki Odos is considered one of the safest motorways in Europe. Its design used strict safety-related technical specifications, including updated hard shoulders in both directions and high quality skid-resistant asphalt pavement, dense lighting and fencing. Attiki Odos has hundreds of CCTV cameras connected to the Traffic Management Centre (TMC), which detects any incidents occurring on

663-511: The Balkans, after Istanbul Airport . The new Athens International Airport covers an expanse of 16,000 acres (25.0 sq mi; 64.7 km ), making the facility among the largest in Europe and in the world in terms of land area. AIA is located between the towns of Markopoulo , Koropi , Spata and Loutsa , about 20 km (12 mi) to the east of central Athens (30 km (19 mi) by road, due to intervening hills). The airport

702-574: 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. In March 2018, the Athens International Airport issued a tender for its first physical expansion, concerning the south wings of the main terminal. The tender called for

741-464: The Southern terminal of Line 2 . Buses disembark passengers at the departures level and depart from the arrivals level between exits 4 and 5. Regional bus services by KTEL Express operate to the airport, currently connecting the airport to Rafina , Markopoulo , Lavrio , Kalyvia and Keratea . Markopoulo Mesogaias Markopoulo Mesogaias ( Greek : Μαρκόπουλο Μεσογαίας ) is a town and

780-441: The airport at that time, increased by 19% on year-over-year basis 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. 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

819-490: The airport company. Currently, private investors include the Copelouzos Group (5%) and PSP Investments of Canada (40%), following purchase of Hochtief 's shares. 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. Studies for a new airport had been carried out from as early as

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858-475: 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. 2014 signaled a strong recovery for the airport's passenger traffic and all statistical figures. 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

897-478: 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. During 2018, the airport achieved yet another record high, reporting increased passenger traffic by 11% to more than 24.1 million passengers. Equally, aircraft traffic achieved a new record with a reported annual growth of 10.8% to 217,094 movements. For the first ten months of 2023,

936-549: The airport traffic shows signs of further increase with passenger numbers up by 19.5% 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. In the second half of June 2018 Emirates added an extra daily flight from its base in Dubai Airport using the Airbus A380 superjumbo, marking

975-522: 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. Four bus lines (X93, X95, X96, X97) 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

1014-438: The current layout leaving enough space for five more terminals to be added. 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. The main terminal building handles all intra- Schengen flights, as well as several non-Schengen flights. All of the airport's 144 check-in desks are located in

1053-480: The extension of Suburban Railway to Lavrio, but these projects have not begun construction yet. Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos ( IATA : ATH , ICAO : LGAV ), 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

1092-470: 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. 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

1131-688: The highest level national competition. Historically, the economy of the region has been largely agricultural, with grapes and wine being the major components of the local economy until today. The Merenda quarry also allowed for a major economic expansion during the 1990s, however operations have ceased since 2014. Today, tourism is a major driver as the nearby seaside town, Porto Rafti, is a very popular tourist destination in Attica. Multiple companies, including SkyGreece Airlines have had their corporate headquarters in Markopoulo Mesogaias due to

1170-401: The motorway and informs the intervention and maintenance patrol units to provide assistance. Other sophisticated safety systems include: Article 50 of the concession contract, as ratified by Law 2445/1996, requires drivers to pay a toll to use the A6, A62 (Hymettus Ring Road) and A621. The toll, paid once when entering the motorways, is the same regardless of distance travelled, but depends on

1209-517: The motorway runs in the northern part of the Hymettus hills and bypassed Mesogeion Avenue and linked to Kifissou Avenue and its suburbs, and the Airport along with the eastern suburbs of Athens. In November 2003, the western part opened from the junction with A8 motorway to Kifisias Avenue. In April 2004, a small 2.5 km section opened, connecting the Ymittos Ring to the westbound direction of

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1248-496: The other for departures. 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) and

1287-410: 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. 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,

1326-417: 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. In 1996, Athens International Airport S.A. (AIA)

1365-406: The significant enhancement of the Athens airport connectivity. 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. Healthy growth continued in 2017 with

1404-501: The vehicle category and payment method: as of 17 August 2024, the single journey toll is €1.40 for motorbikes, €2.80 for cars and vans, €7.10 for trucks and buses, and €11.30 for heavy goods vehicles . Drivers can pay by cash, credit or debit card, e-pass or a special account card: e-pass transponders from other motorways are accepted under the Greek Interoperable Tolling System (GRITS), which

1443-461: Was also to be extended southwards to Vouliagmeni , in the area of Elliniko . In 2010 and 2013 alterations in the original planning were made and more extensions were proposed. As of 2019, the expansion plan under discussion includes the extensions to Rafina and Lavrio ports, the extension of Kymis Avenue up to the A1 motorway , the extension of Hymettus western ring road to Vouliagmenis Avenue, as well as

1482-580: Was established as a Public–private partnership with a 30-year concession agreement. 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. The airport officially opened on 28 March 2001 Its major features include two parallel runways being 4 km (2.5 mi) and 3.8 km (2.4 mi) long respectively. The airport has received approval from

1521-558: Was introduced in 2012 and expanded nationwide in November 2020. In 2001, the same year the first section of the motorway was delivered, the discussion about the extension of the motorway first opened, but the plans remained unimplemented for many years. On October 21, 2005 a new expansion plan was proposed. 76 km of motorway was to be constructed, bringing the total length to 141 km. Extensions were to be constructed towards Rafina , Lavrio and Vouliagmeni . The Hymettus Beltway

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