Athens' new airport: you'll not believe you're in Greece (Athens International Airport (ATH))

Member Name: Bel Ludovic

Product:	Athens International Airport (ATH)
Date:	26/03/02 (471 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: well laid-out, smooth and efficient, great facilities

Disadvantages: quite far from the city, architectural lack of imagination, not enough VDUs displaying flight information

All ops on Athens airport dated before March 2001 are out-of-date, for the old airport is history. The new one is now operational and sits on the Attica plain like a veritable behemoth, visible from miles around.

It helps to have been to the old Hellinikon airport (or just 'Hell' as it was known to many) to appreciate the snappily-titled Eleftherios Venizelos Airport that now serves the 2004 Olympic City. Remember 1985? I refer not to Live Aid, Spitting Image or n-n-n-n-nineteen but to the hijack of a TWA flight which eventually landed in Beirut. That the hijackers boarded at Athens Airport gave the place a world-wide reputation for lax security, and brought to the fore all the other complaints regarding the airport: too small, too dirty, too hot and nothing to do. The terminal serving the Greek airline Olympic Airways was the worst, little more than a glorified shed - and deeply umpleasant to wile away the numerous delays passengers of that airline usually endure. The other terminal improved with time: it became cleaner, the air conditioning worked, money was lavished on the gardens in front of the airport and information screens improved. But it was still below par for a capital and a host of the Olympics.

The new airport had been under planning since the 1970s but was dogged by the immeasurable delays and lack of achievement that characterise Greek politics. Eventually it opened in March 2001 near the town of Spata, about an hour's drive from the city centre. While the old airport was sandwiched between the coastal suburbs of Athens and the sea, and getting to the city centre was a swift affair, this one is way outside the city, on the other side of the mountains to the east of it.

It is an impressive place. Not from the outside, granted: Greeks don't 'do' architecture; their preference for functionality has always led to the employment of rulers time and time again, even during the 1990s penchant for curvaceous
architecture. This airport is a typical example - from the outside, it looks like a large but cheap hospital, with no architectural flair whatsoever. Inside however, all is shiny and new. The marble floors are buffed clean. Free internet terminals are scattered about. Attractively spot-lit copies of ancient Greek artefacts are displayed outside.

The check-in counters are all in one continuous line - there are no different terminals for different airlines and destinations. Behind the counters is an internal street lined with excellent shopping and dining facilities, including shops selling CDs, books, electronics, fashion, cosmetics, a delicatessen and an Official 2004 Olympics merchandise store - a welcome contrast to the pathetic array on offer at this airport's predecessor. Everything was calm, ordered and efficient. My brother, who had not been to Greece since 1995, cound't believe this was the same country: "This is just like Munich Airport!" he exclaimed.

A few words of warning, though: this airport prides itself on providing the passenger with a 'serene' experience: therefore only one announcement of the boarding gate is made per flight departure. We were so busy browsing the shops we didn't hear the Final Call, and very nearly missed our flight. Also, some airlines depart from a satellite pier, accessed by underground walkways - this can be quite a walk, I'm told, of between 15 and 20 minutes.

Getting into the city couldn't be easier: apart from taxis, buses leave for the city centre, the port of Piraeus and Ethniki Amyna Metro Station, where you can connect with the rest of the (similarly new and excellent) Metro network. The ticket costs about €2.93(£1.80)and once it's been validated, it can be used as a One Day Travelcard on board all of Athens' public transport - great idea.

All vehicular traffic uses an empty new motorway that has cut a swathe trhough vineyards and
olive groves, and this takes you about half the way into the city. Look at the central reservation: if it seems wide, that's because by 2004 trains will be running up and down the motorway, connecting the airport to the city.

We took the Metro from Syntagma Square to Ethniki Amyna and the bus was waiting just outside. It was suspiciously smooth, clean and efficient (again, is this *Greece*?!) and the whole journey to the airport lasted exactly an hour.

Don't forget to have € coins ready for the (deliciously smooth) trolleys.

This is a great airport. It looks smart, it works well, and it confounds all expectations. Yes, it is all new - and how it will age remains to be seen. But anyone used to the old airport will be in for a huge surpise, because the contrast couldn't be greater.

Summary: