Athens International Airport

Athens International Airport "Elefthérios Venizélos" Διεθνής Αερολιμένας Αθηνών "Ελευθέριος Βενιζέλος"
IATA: ATH ICAO: LGAV ATH Location of airport in Greece
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Public/Private consortium
Operator	Athens International Airport S.A
Serves	Athens, Greece
Location	Spata, Greece
Hub for	Aegean Airlines Hellenic Imperial Airways Fly Hellas Olympic Air
Elevation AMSL	308 ft / 94 m
Coordinates	37°56′11″N 23°56′40″E
Website	www.aia.gr
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% Cargo 96,676,103 kg (95,149 long tons; 106,567 short tons)
Sources: Passengers Flights Cargo

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 distinguished Greek statesman Eleftherios Venizelos. The airport has become increasingly popular as a gateway to Asia and the Middle East. It is also known for its continuous investment in pioneering technology, and is Airbus A380 ready, having been certified as such by the European Aviation Safety Agency and the Federal Aviation Administration. On the 13th April 2011, an Emirates Airbus A380 from Dubai en route to Manchester, had to make an emergency landing at Athens as one of the passengers, a 49 year old woman on-board the flight suffered a heart attack in-flight over Turkey. Many people, such as aviation enthusiasts gathered to see the first ever A380 landing at Athens Airport.

General information

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. Once completed, the complex will be used as a Schengen facility. 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. 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. In 2010, the airport handled 15,411,952 passengers, 5% less than in 2009.

It is also an airport that has received approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency and the Federal Aviation Administration for take-offs and landings of the biggest passenger jet worldwide, the Airbus A380.

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.

Terminals

Main Terminal

File:Athens airport tower 2008.jpg

Control tower

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.

Satellite Terminal

The Satellite Terminal handles non-Schengen flights only. It is easily accessible through an underground link complete with moving walkways. As of 2009, part of the Satellite Terminal is closed and a new above ground link to the midfield satellite terminal is under construction with a completion date by the end of 2010. Once completed, the complex will be used as a Schengen facility. It has two levels, one for arrivals and the other for departures.

Airlines and destinations

The main terminal building, seen at night.

View of section of the exterior of the airport (Departures Level)

Check-in desks.

The Main Departures Screen.

Check-in desks

Olympic Air A320 landing at Athens

Airlines	Destinations	Concourse
Adria Airways	Seasonal: Ljubljana	B
Aegean Airlines	Istanbul-Atatürk, Larnaca, London-Heathrow, Moscow-Domodedovo, Tel Aviv	A
Aegean Airlines	Alexandroupolis, Barcelona, Berlin-Tegel, Bologna, Brussels, Chania, Chios, Corfu, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Heraklion, Kalamata, Kos, Madrid, Milan-Malpensa, Munich, Mykonos, Mytilene, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Rhodes, Rome-Fiumicino, Samos, Santorini, Sitia, Stuttgart, Thessaloniki, Vienna [resumes 12 September] Seasonal: Venice-Marco Polo	B
Aer Lingus	Seasonal: Dublin	A
Aeroflot	Moscow-Sheremetyevo	A
Aerosvit Airlines	Donetsk, Kiev-Boryspil, Odessa	A
Air Canada	Seasonal: Montréal-Trudeau, Toronto-Pearson	A
Air China	Beijing-Capital, Munich	A
Air France	Paris-Charles de Gaulle	B
Air Malta	Malta, Sofia	B
Air Méditerranée	Paris-Charles de Gaulle	B
Air Moldova	Chişinău	A
Air One	Milan-Malpensa [begins 19 September], Pisa [begins 1 July]	B
Air Transat	Montréal-Trudeau, Toronto-Pearson	A
AirBaltic	Seasonal: Riga	B
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
Carpatair	Timişoara	A
Cimber Sterling	Seasonal:Copenhagen	B
Continental Airlines	Seasonal: Newark	A
Croatia Airlines	Seasonal: Dubrovnik, Zagreb	A
Cyprus Airways	Larnaca, Paphos	A
Czech Airlines	Prague	B
Czech Connect Airlines	Prague [begins 23 June]	B
Darwin Airline	Seasonal: Geneva, Nice	B
Delta Air Lines	New York–JFK Seasonal: Atlanta	A
Donbassaero	Donetsk	A
EasyJet	Edinburgh [begins 20 September], London-Gatwick, Manchester	A
EasyJet	Berlin-Schönefeld, Milan-Malpensa, Paris-Orly, Rome-Fiumicino	B
EgyptAir	Cairo	A
El Al	Tel Aviv	A
Emirates	Dubai	A
Etihad Airways	Abu Dhabi	A
Fly Hellas	Arbil, Baghdad, Manchester, Sulaymaniyah, Winter Seasonal:Frankfurt, Stockholm-Arlanda	A
Georgian Airways	Tbilisi	A
Germanwings	Seasonal: Cologne/Bonn, Stuttgart	B
Gulf Air	Bahrain	A
Hellenic Imperial Airways	Kuwait-City [begins 25 June], London-Gatwick [begins 24 June], New York-JFK [begins 24 June] Seasonal: Johannesburg	A
Iberia	Madrid	B
Iberworld	Madrid, Barcelona	B
Jat Airways	Belgrade	A
Jetairfly	Seasonal: Brussels-South Charleroi	B
KLM	Amsterdam	B
Kuban Airlines	Krasnodar	A
LOT Polish Airlines	Warsaw Seasonal: Kraków	B
Lufthansa	Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich	B
Malév Hungarian Airlines	Budapest	B
Meridiana Fly	Seasonal: Milan-Malpensa, Verona	B
Middle East Airlines	Beirut	A
Norwegian Air Shuttle	Copenhagen, Oslo-Rygge, Stockholm-Arlanda	B
Olympic Air	Belgrade, Bucharest-Henri Coandă, 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
Scandinavian Airlines	Copenhagen Seasonal: Stockholm-Arlanda	B
Sky Wings	Kiev-Zhulyany [begins 14 June], Lviv [beings 2 June]	A
Singapore Airlines	Singapore	A
Sky Express	Heraklion, Kastoria, Kozani, Preveza [begins 14 June], Sitia, Skyros, Zakynthos [begins 6 June]	B
Swiss International Air Lines	Geneva, Zürich	B
Syrian Air	Aleppo, Damascus	A
TAP Portugal	Lisbon [begins 5 June]	B
TAROM	Bucharest-Henri Coandă	A
Thai Airways International	Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi	A
Transaero Airlines	St Petersburg	A
Transavia.com	Amsterdam	B
Turkish Airlines	Istanbul-Atatürk	A
Tunisair	Tunis	A
US Airways	Seasonal: Philadelphia	A
Uzbekistan Airways	Tashkent	A
Vueling Airlines	Barcelona	B

File:Air routes from ATH (May 2010).png

Cities with direct international air links with Athens International Airport.

Cargo airlines

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	Frankfurt, Newark, Memphis	Cargo
FedEx Feeder operated by Air Contractors	Dublin	Cargo
Lufthansa Cargo	Frankfurt	Cargo
Royal Jordanian Cargo	Amman, 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

Ground transport

From bottom to top: Main Terminal, Short-term parking lot, Metro Station and Attiki Odos, long-term parking lot.

Road

The airport is accessible by the Attiki Odos toll highway from the center 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 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.

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.

View of the bridge that connects the airport with the Metro Station; Sofitel Hotel stands in the background.

Taxi

Taxis are available at the designated Taxi waiting area located by exit 3 of the arrivals level. Limousine service is also available upon request by the inner curbside of the arrivals level between exits 3 and 4.

Rail

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, 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.

Station with covers suburban service

Bus

Bus stop outside the airport

Bus serving the airport

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. Buses disembark passengers at the departures leveland depart from the arrivals levelbetween exits 4 and 5.

Regional bus services by KTEL Express also operate to the airport, currently connecting the airport to Rafina, Markopoulo, Lavrio, Kalyvia, and Keratea. Passengers disembark at the departures level, and depart from the arrivals level between exits 2 and 3.

Awards

• European Airport of the Year - 2004
• Skytrax award for best Airport in Southern Europe - 2005,2006 and 2008
• GreenBuilding Award for its exemplary energy saving figures reflected in the two previous years (2006, 2007) - 2008

Airline lounges

Many airline users of Athens International Airport operate luxurious and modern 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:

• Aegean Airlines CIP Lounge
• British Airways 'Terraces' Lounge
• Goldair Handling CIP Lounge
• Lufthansa 'Senator' Lounge
• Olympic Air 'Melina Merkouri' Lounge
• Olympic Air 'Aristotelis Onassis' Lounge
• Swissport 'Executive' Lounge

Robotic security

The airport is equipped with two robotic systems (robots "Hercules" and "Ulysses") capable of handling suspect devices. They are designed to protect the lives of individuals as well as airport spaces by safely identifying and removing explosives.

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 but highly efficient robot, equipped with a shock-absorbing system allowing movements on rough surfaces.

External links

• Official website
• Template:WAD
• LGAV current wind