An abandoned airport on the Athenian Riviera is being transformed into an ambitious new holiday resort and coastal park, although some say that it will be nothing more than a “mini Dubai”.
While in operation, Ellinikon International Airport, four miles south of Athens, was a popular gateway to the Greek capital, even if it had one of the most hair-raising take-offs and landings on Earth.
When it was deemed unsuitable for development due to noise pollution and security concerns, the airport was decommissioned in 2001.
After the airport’s closure, the 1,500-acre site was redeveloped into an Olympic Complex for the 2004 games, hosting hockey, fencing and softball, but has since been left abandoned despite multiple redevelopment proposals.
For two decades, weeds have grown in the cracks of the concrete while stray dogs hunt for shade. But that could soon change.
The latest development plan, The Ellinikon, is underway. The £6.8 billion urban reclamation project is the biggest in Europe right now, promising to “seamlessly link the city to the sea” and offer Athenians a brand new green space, bigger than London’s Hyde Park.