| Athens International Airport "Elefthérios Venizélos" Διεθνής Αερολιμένας Αθηνών "Ελευθέριος Βενιζέλος" |
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|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: ATH – ICAO: LGAV
ATH
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| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Owner | Public/Private consortium[1] | ||
| Operator | Athens International Airport S.A | ||
| Serves | Athens, Greece | ||
| Location | Spata, Greece | ||
| Hub for | |||
| Elevation AMSL | 308 ft / 94 m | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 03R/21L | 13,123 | 4,000 | Asphalt |
| 03L/21R | 12,467 | 3,800 | Asphalt |
| Statistics (2010) | |||
| Passengers | 15,411,952 | ||
| Passenger change 09-10 | 5.0% | ||
| Aircraft operations | 191,766 | ||
| Movements change 09-10 | 8.7% | ||
| Sources: Passengers[2] Flights[3] Cargo[4] | |||
Athens International Airport (Greek: Διεθνής Αερολιμένας Αθηνών, Diethnís Aeroliménas Athinón) known as "Elefthérios Venizélos", Ελευθέριος Βενιζέλος) (IATA: ATH, ICAO: LGAV), which began operation on 29 March 2001, is the civilian airport that serves the city of Athens and the region of Attica. The airport is the major hub and base of Aegean Airlines and Olympic Air. The airport serves more than 15 million travellers annually and was named after the Greek statesman Eleftherios Venizelos. The airport has become increasingly popular as a gateway to Asia and the Middle East.
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The airport was opened in March 2001 to replace the now-closed Athens (Ellinikon) International Airport. The first arrival was an Olympic Airways flight from Montreal and the second one was an Olympic Aviation flight from Kythira. The first departure was a KLM flight to Amsterdam. The airport 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 an outstanding contribution to the development of Greek aviation and the Hellenic Air Force in the 1930s.
The airport currently has two terminals: the Main Terminal, and the Satellite Terminal accessible by a foot-tunnel from the Main Terminal. As of 2009, a new above ground link to the midfield satellite terminal is under construction with a completion date by the end of 2010.[5] Once completed, the complex will be used as a Schengen facility.[5] It has two runways that are each approximately 4 km (2.5 mi) long. The airport was developed by public-private partnership with Greece holding 55% of the shares.
The airport is designed to be upgraded over the ensuing years in order to accommodate the increase in air travel, and its upgrades are planned in a six-phase framework. The first (current) phase initially allowed the airport to accommodate 16 million passengers a year, but was upgraded to 21 million passengers a year with out progressing to the next phase thanks primarily to IT advances.[5] The sixth phase will allow the airport to accommodate as many as 50 million passengers a year. The current runways are designed to accommodate 50 million passengers a year with the completion of the sixth phase.[5] In 2010, the airport handled 15,411,952 passengers, 5% less than in 2009.[2]
It is also an airport that has received approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency[6] and the Federal Aviation Administration[6] for take-offs and landings of the biggest passenger jet worldwide, the Airbus A380.[6]
The first Airbus A380 made an emergency landing at 'Eleftherios Venizelos' Athens International Airport on the 13th April 2011 as a passenger suffered a heart attack.
It is also among the 30 busiest airports in Europe.
In 2005 and 2006, the Airport was awarded the Skytrax award for best airport in Southern Europe.
The Main Terminal Building handles the all intra-Schengen flights, as well as several non-Schengen flights. All check-in desks are located in the Main Terminal. It has three separate levels, one for arrivals, one for departures and a food court level complete with a view of the eastern runway.
The Satellite Terminal handles non-Schengen flights only. It is easily accessible through an underground link complete with moving walkways. In 2009, part of the Satellite Terminal was closed and a new above ground link to the midfield satellite terminal was completed by the end of 2010. The complex is now used as a Schengen facility.[5] It has two levels, one for arrivals and the other for departures.
| Airlines | Destinations | Concourse |
|---|---|---|
| Aegean Airlines | Istanbul-Atatürk, Larnaca, London-Heathrow, Moscow-Domodedovo, Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion | A |
| Aegean Airlines | Alexandroupolis, Barcelona, Berlin-Tegel [ends 8 January], Brussels, Chania, Corfu, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Heraklion, Kos, Madrid, Milan-Malpensa, Munich, Mykonos, Mytilene, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Rhodes, Rome-Fiumicino, Santorini, Sitia, Stuttgart, Thessaloniki, Vienna Seasonal: Kalamata, Venice-Marco Polo |
B |
| Aer Lingus | Seasonal: Dublin | A |
| Aeroflot | Moscow-Sheremetyevo | A |
| Aerogenesis Air Service | Seasonal: Dubrovnik[7] | A |
| Aerogenesis Air Service | Seasonal: Chios, Genoa, Munich, Mykonos, Samos, Vienna, Zurich [8] | B |
| Aerosvit Airlines | Kiev-Boryspil Seasonal: Odessa |
A |
| Air Baltic | Seasonal: Riga | B |
| Air Bucharest | Bucharest-Otopeni | A |
| Air Canada | Seasonal: Montréal-Trudeau, Toronto-Pearson | A |
| Air China | Beijing-Capital, Munich | A |
| Air France | Marseille, Nice [begins 3 April], Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Toulouse [begins 3 April] | B |
| Air Malta | Malta, Sofia | B |
| Air Moldova | Chişinău | A |
| Air One | Milan-Malpensa, Pisa, Venice-Marco Polo [begins 17 April] | B |
| Air Transat | Seasonal: Montréal-Trudeau, Toronto-Pearson | A |
| Alitalia | Naples, Rome-Fiumicino | B |
| Armavia | Yerevan | A |
| Austrian Airlines | Vienna | B |
| Austrian operated by Tyrolean Airways | Seasonal: Vienna | B |
| Belle Air | Tirana | A |
| Blue1 | Seasonal: Helsinki | B |
| British Airways | London-Heathrow | A |
| Brussels Airlines | Brussels | B |
| Bulgaria Air | Sofia | A |
| Croatia Airlines | Seasonal: Dubrovnik, Zagreb | A |
| Cyprus Airways | Larnaca | A |
| Czech Airlines | Prague | B |
| Delta Air Lines | New York–JFK | A |
| EasyJet | Edinburgh, London-Gatwick, Manchester | A |
| EasyJet | Berlin-Brandenburg [begins 3 June], Berlin-Schönefeld [ends 2 June], Madrid [begins 19 February], Milan-Malpensa, Paris-Orly, Rome-Fiumicino | B |
| EasyJet Switzerland | Geneva [begins 19 April] | B |
| EgyptAir | Cairo | A |
| EgyptAir operated by EgyptAir Express | Alexandria | A |
| El Al | Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion | A |
| Emirates | Dubai | A |
| Etihad Airways | Abu Dhabi | A |
| Georgian Airways | Tbilisi | A |
| Germanwings | Seasonal: Cologne/Bonn, Stuttgart | B |
| Gulf Air | Bahrain | A |
| Hellenic Imperial Airways | New York-JFK Seasonal: Johannesburg |
A |
| Iberia | Madrid | B |
| Jat Airways | Belgrade | A |
| Jetairfly | Seasonal: Brussels-South Charleroi | B |
| KLM | Amsterdam | B |
| Kuban Airlines | Krasnodar[9] | A |
| LOT Polish Airlines | Warsaw | B |
| Lufthansa | Düsseldorf [ends 21 January], Frankfurt, Munich | B |
| Malév Hungarian Airlines | Budapest | B |
| Middle East Airlines | Beirut | A |
| Norwegian Air Shuttle | Seasonal: Copenhagen, Oslo-Gardermoen, Stockholm-Arlanda | B |
| Olympic Air | Belgrade, Bucharest-Otopeni, Cairo, Istanbul-Atatürk, Larnaca, Sofia, Tirana | A |
| Olympic Air | Alexandroupolis, Amsterdam, Astypalaia, Chania, Chios, Corfu, Heraklion, Ikaria, Ioannina, Kalymnos, Karpathos, Kavala, Kefalonia, Kos, Kythira, Lemnos, Leros, Milos, Mykonos, Mytilene, Naxos, Paros, Rhodes, Samos, Santorini, Skiathos, Syros, Thessaloniki, Zakynthos | B |
| Pegasus Airlines operated by IZair | Izmir | A |
| Qatar Airways | Doha | A |
| Rossiya | Seasonal: St Petesburg | A |
| Royal Jordanian | Amman-Queen Alia | A |
| S7 Airlines | Seasonal: Moscow-Domodedovo [begins May 26] | A |
| Scandinavian Airlines | Copenhagen Seasonal: Stockholm-Arlanda |
B |
| Singapore Airlines | Istanbul-Ataturk, Singapore | A |
| Sky Express | Heraklion, Kastoria, Kozani, Skyros | B |
| Sky Wings | Milan-Linate, Kiev-Zhulyany, Lviv, Larnaca, Paphos Seasonal:Birmingham |
A |
| Sky Wings | Corfu, Heraklion, Skiathos, Zakynthos | B |
| Swiss International Air Lines | Geneva, Zürich | B |
| Syrian Air | Aleppo, Damascus | A |
| TAP Portugal | Lisbon | B |
| TAROM | Bucharest-Otopeni | A |
| Transavia.com | Amsterdam | B |
| Turkish Airlines | Istanbul-Atatürk | A |
| Tunisair | Tunis | A |
| UM Airlines | Kiev-Zhuliany | A |
| US Airways | Seasonal: Philadelphia | A |
| Vueling Airlines | Barcelona | B |
| Airlines | Destinations | Terminal |
|---|---|---|
| Airgo Airlines | Alexandroupolis, Astypalaia, Chania, Chios, Corfu, Heraklion, Ikaria, Ioannina, Kalymnos, Karpathos, Kavala, Kefalonia, Kos, Kythira, Lemnos, Leros, Milos, Mykonos, Mytilene, Naxos, Paros, Rhodes, Samos, Santorini, Skiathos, Syros, Thessaloniki, Zakynthos | Cargo |
| DHL | Leipzig/Halle | Cargo |
| DHL Aviation operated by DHL Air UK | Leipzig/Halle | Cargo |
| FedEx Express | Paris-Charles de Gaulle | Cargo |
| Lufthansa Cargo | Frankfurt | Cargo |
| Royal Jordanian Cargo | Amman-Queen Alia, Cologne | Cargo |
| Star Air | Copenhagen | Cargo |
| TNT Airways | Liège, Milan-Orio al Serio | Cargo |
| UPS Airlines | Ljubljana, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle | Cargo |
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.[10] Long-term parking is located across the airport's main access road (Attiki Odos) with 5,802 parking spaces in lot P3.[11] 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.[12]
Currently, all of the parking lots are exposed to the elements. As of 2009, a new 3,800 space multi-story parking structure is in the design phase and is expected to open in the summer of 2011.[5]
Taxis are available at the designated Taxi waiting area located by exit 3 of the arrivals level.[13] Limousine service is also available upon request by the inner curbside of the arrivals level between exits 3 and 4.[13]
A rail station immediately adjacent to the airport terminal is accessible by an elevated walkway. The station is served by both the Athens Metro and suburban rail service Proastiakos. The station is connected with line 3 of the Athens Metro,[14] while it is also connected to the Athens Central Railway Station (Larissis Station) and the port of Pireaus as well as to Corinth via Proastiakos.[15]
Four bus lines (X93, X95, X96, X97) connect directly to the Athens greater area, the intercity bus stations (KTEL Kiffisos and Lionson Stations) and Piraeus.[16] Buses disembark passengers at the departures leveland depart from the arrivals levelbetween exits 4 and 5.[16]
Regional bus services by KTEL Express also operate to the airport, currently connecting the airport to Rafina, Markopoulo, Lavrio, Kalyvia, and Keratea.[16] Passengers disembark at the departures level, and depart from the arrivals level between exits 2 and 3.[16]
Many airline users of Athens International Airport operate passenger lounges. First and Business Class passengers of the respective airlines and partner alliances can enjoy lounge facilities at the airport. Airline lounges at the airport include:
The airport is equipped with two robotic systems (robots "Hercules" and "Ulysses") capable of handling suspect devices. Hercules was donated by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. It is a system capable of the safe collection and transportation of explosives for disposal. It is equipped with a spherical shaped tank with a diameter of 120 cm, and two robotic folding arms. Ulysses is a system worth €94,000, donated by Soukos Robots ABEE. This system was manufactured in order to serve as a supplement to Hercules. It can access more difficult areas than Hercules such as toilets, buses or aircraft. It is a light robot, equipped with a shock-absorbing system allowing movements on rough surfaces.