Athens International Airport

Development and ownership

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 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.^{[citation needed]} 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.^[1] 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.^[8] 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 the European Aviation Safety Agency^[9] and the Federal Aviation Administration^[9] for take-offs and landings of the biggest passenger jet worldwide, the A380.^[9] 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.^[10]

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.^[11] 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.^[1]

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,^[12][13] and the decision by Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways to fly more frequently to and from Athens.^[14][15][16] Delta Air Lines 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.^{[citation needed]}

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^[17] 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.^[18] 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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[19] 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.^[20] During 2018, the airport achieved yet another record high, reporting increased passenger traffic by 11% to more than 24.1 million passengers.^[21] Equally, aircraft traffic achieved a new record with a reported annual growth of 10.8% to 217,094 movements.^[22]

For the first ten months of 2023, the airport traffic shows signs of further increase with passenger numbers up by 19.5%^[23] 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.^[24]

In the second half of June 2018 Emirates added an extra daily flight from its base in Dubai Airport using the Airbus A380 superjumbo,^[25] 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.^[26]

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.^[27] 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.^[27]

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.^[28] 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.^[27] 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)^[29] 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.^{[citation needed]}

Annual statistics

More information Year, Passenger traffic ...

Passenger, aircraft movement and cargo statistics at "El. Venizelos" airport: 2002–2025^{[1][354][355]}

Year	Passenger traffic	Passenger % change	Cargo handled (kg.)	Cargo % change	Aircraft movements	Aircraft % change
2002	11,827,448	n/a	106,813,249	n/a	159,467	n/a
2003	12,252,394	3.6	109,741,122	2.7	170,129	6.7
2004	13,662,332	11.5	118,999,247	8.4	191,048	12.3
2005	14,281,020	4.5	115,942,974	2.6	180,936	5.3
2006	15,079,708	5.6	120,174,745	3.6	190,872	5.6
2007	16,538,403	9.7	118,972,376	1.0	205,295	7.6
2008	16,466,491	0.4	122,195,965	2.7	199,418	2.9
2009	16,225,589	1.5	104,520,932	10.5	210,147	5.4
2010	15,411,099	5.0	96,676,103	7.5	191,766	8.7
2011	14,446,971	6.3	85,831,845	11.2	173,296	9.6
2012	12,944,041	10.4	76,424,557	11.0	153,295	11.5
2013	12,536,057	3.2	74,874,633	2.0	140,448	8.4
2014	15,196,369	21.2	77,337,956	3.3	154,530	10.0
2015	18,087,377	19.0	80,475,761	4.0	176,156	14.0
2016	20,016,998	10.7	88,477,196	9.9	189,137	7.4
2017	21,737,787	8.6	90,176,471	1.9	195,951	3.6
2018	24,135,736	11.0	92,573,026	3.1	217,094	10.8
2019	25,573,993	6.0	94,621,875	1.5	225,628	3.9
2020	8,078,394	68.4	75,783,363	19.4	112,415	50.2
2021	12,345,786	52.8	96,907,000	27.9	158,950	41.4
2022	22,728,750	84.1	106,103,811	6.8	213,352	34.2
2023	28,174,150	24.0	94,000,348	7.4	241,604	13.2
2024	31,854,761	13.1	124,960,801	32.9	268,301	11,0
2025	33,993,746	6.7	137,654,442	10.2	283,589	5.7
2026.03	6,281,747	8.1	--	n/a	54,181	7.0

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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.^[356]

More information Rank, Country destination ...

Passenger traffic per country destination (2024)

Rank	Country destination	Passengers	Change %
00	Greece	9,380,529	007.3%
01	Italy	2,254,842	021.9%
02	Germany	2,154,707	015.1%
03	United Kingdom	1,956,957	005.5%
04	France	1,528,375	009.9%
05	Cyprus	1,401,271	013.4%
06	United States	1,199,251	022.8%
07	Turkey	1,185,376	028.2%
08	Spain	1,014,339	015.7%
09	Israel	0949,291	023.7%
10	Switzerland	0830,995	009,6%

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Airline market share 2024

More information Rank, Airline ...

Top airlines at Athens ^[356]

Rank	Airline	Market share
1	Aegean Airlines	43.6%
	Olympic Air
2	Sky Express	12.0%
3	Ryanair	5.7%
4	Lufthansa	2.5%
5	Volotea	2.3%
6	Turkish Airlines	1.7%
7	EasyJet	1.5%
8	Emirates	1.5%
9	Delta Air Lines	1.5%
10	British Airways	1.4%

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Airline alliance market share 2024

Passengers 2024

More information Rank, Destination ...

Busiest European destinations from Athens Airport ^[356]

Rank	Destination	Airport(s)	Passengers	Top carriers
01	London	LHR, LGW, STN	1,666,476	Aegean Airlines, British Airways, easyJet, Jet2.com, Ryanair, Sky Express, Wizz Air
02	Larnaca	LCA	1,300,765	Aegean Airlines, Cyprus Airways, Gulf Air, Sky Express, Wizz Air
03	Istanbul	IST, SAW	1,134,984	Aegean Airlines, Pegasus Airlines, Sky Express, Turkish Airlines
04	Paris	CDG, ORY	1,024,354	Aegean Airlines, Air France, easyJet, Sky Express, Transavia France
05	Rome	FCO, CIA	842,983	Aegean Airlines, ITA Airways, Ryanair, Sky Express
06	Milan	MXP, BGY	741,498	Aegean Airlines, easyJet, Ryanair, Sky Express, Wizz Air
07	Munich	MUC	703,730	Aegean Airlines, Lufthansa, Sky Express
08	Frankfurt	FRA	681,569	Aegean Airlines, Lufthansa, Sky Express
09	Amsterdam	AMS	601,885	Aegean Airlines, KLM, Sky Express, Transavia
10	Vienna	VIE	516,623	Aegean Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Ryanair, Sky Express

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More information Rank, Destination ...

Busiest intercontinental destinations from Athens Airport ^[356]

Rank	Destination	Airport(s)	Passengers	Carriers
01	Tel Aviv	TLV	949,291	Aegean Airlines, Arkia, Bluebird Airways, El Al, Israir, Ryanair, Sky Express, Wizz Air
02	New York	JFK, EWR	683,560	American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, Norse Atlantic Airways, United Airlines
03	Cairo	CAI	317,537	Aegean Airlines, EgyptAir
04	Doha	DOH	308,432	Qatar Airways
05	Dubai	DXB	307,696	Aegean Airlines, Emirates
06	Toronto	YYZ	214,224	Air Canada, Air Transat
07	Abu Dhabi	AUH	210,841	Aegean Airlines, Etihad Airways, Wizz Air
08	Montreal	YUL	207,335	Air Canada, Air Transat
09	Atlanta	ATL	136,351	Delta Air Lines
10	Chicago	ORD	135,979	American Airlines, United Airlines

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Railway and Metro

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.^[357]

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.^[358] Long-term parking is located across the airport's main access road (Attiki Odos) with 5,802 parking spaces in lot P3.^[359] 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.^[360]

Taxi

Taxis are available at the designated taxi waiting area located at exit 3 of the arrivals level.^[361] 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.^{[citation needed]}

Bus

Four bus lines (X93, X95, X96, X97)^[362] 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.^[363] Buses disembark passengers at the departures level and depart from the arrivals level between exits 4 and 5.^[363] Regional bus services by KTEL Express operate to the airport, currently connecting the airport to Rafina, Markopoulo, Lavrio, Kalyvia and Keratea.^[363]