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With a 2.14% contribution to Greece’s GDP, Athens International Airport’s business community has a key role in the national economy and society
 

• 63,000 jobs created
• Regional impact: 3.2% of Attica’s GDP
• €693 million added value creation for the surrounding Messogia area /  more than 8,000 jobs for Messogia residents inside or outside the airport
• Athens International Airport, a business and employment engine: 300 enterprises and more than 15,000 employees constitute the “airport community”

Besides being a major aviation infrastructure, Athens International Airport has evolved into a multi-role entity and a significant business and employment engine in Greece. This dimension is presented -for the first time- in a study conducted by the Athens University of Economics and Business: its main findings show that Athens International Airport is a major asset for the Greek economy, with significant impact on employment, entrepreneurship, and tourism, on a local, regional, and national level.

Positive impact on the Greek economy

According to the findings of the university study, Athens International Airport contributes substantially to the national economy with an annual total added value of €4.9 billion, corresponding to 2.14% of Greece’s GDP. At the same time, the airport is a powerful employment engine, having created more than 63,000 jobs in Greece, inside and outside its fence.

Attica - Messogia: important contribution to the local and regional society and economy

The significant economic value and the airport’s vital role for the region of Attica, is displayed in the study results: in total, Athens International Airport’s annual contribution amounts to 3.2% of Attica’s GDP (€4.1 billion), while 48,000 jobs were created on a regional level.

Specifically for the surrounding Messogia area, the study has shown that the airport contributes significantly to local economic prosperity. As the biggest business entity in Messogia, the airport represents 47% of the area’s GDP and has boosted employment by creating 8,000 jobs for local residents (direct or indirect). Annual added value for the area amounts to €693 million.

As regards employment, the airport community of 15,296 employees represents, according to the study, 22% of the total number of jobs in Messogia (70,000 approximately).

On a European level

AIA’s total economic impact (2.14% of Greece’s GDP) is of great significance on a national level, while, on a European level, it is classified in the upper range compared to other European airports with respective impacts that vary from 1.4% to 2.5% of the GDP. In addition, the level of job creation by Athens International Airport, on the basis of passenger traffic, significantly surpasses the percentages of other European airports on a national and regional scale (by 29% and 45% respectively), indicating the important role of the airport as an employment driver. 

In the frame of the study presentation, Professor Gregory P. Prastakos, Rector of the Athens University of Economics and Business, stressed: “This pioneer study conducted by the Athens University of Economics and Business, applying international best practices, evaluates very positively Athens International Airport’s total impact on the Greek economy, also in comparison to other airports in Europe and America. In the modern economy, airports are recognized in their countries as important engines of economic and social development. We hope that the results of this study will assist in the drawing of policies for transport and development on a national and regional level.”

Dr. Yiannis Paraschis, CEO of Athens International Airport, stressed: “The track record of Athens International Airport to date reflects the evolution of an important infrastructure work into a model business entity with greater impact on the national economy, employment, tourism and society at large. The success of AIA’s business and operational model is further reflected in the Airport Company’s contribution to the Greek State budget. In the last seven years (2002-2008), the Greek State has received 450 million euros in payments, which corresponds to 75% of the total amount returned by the Airport Company to its shareholders”.

AIA CEO placed special emphasis on Athens International Airport’s consistent commitment to environmental management and care. AIA’s strategic priorities in this field is action against climate change -with the implementation of special annual action plans since 2008- along with energy saving and use of alternative energy sources. An upcoming project of the Airport Company, stressed Dr. Paraschis, is the construction of an 8MW airport photovoltaics park.   

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Athens International Airport, Mr. Loukas Papazoglou, stated: “Athens International Airport S.A. stands out as an excellent example of a successful PPP partnership. In this frame, the study conducted by the Athens University of Economics and Business, shows that there is an outflow of value created inside the airport, which is spread to the local community as well as to the greater Greek economy and society, creating added value and new jobs.”

• Study sources were the Bank of Greece, the National Statistical Service of Greece, Athens International Airport’s quality surveys, and international airport studies
•  The study measured the economic impact of the airport based on: a) direct impact (e.g. AIA, airlines, users, concessionaires, etc), b) indirect impact (transportation means, travel agents, etc), c) incremental tourism effect, and d) induced / multiplier impact resulting from direct and indirect impacts

 

Photograph from today’s presentation: From left, the moderator, journalist Konstantinos Zoulas, the CEO of Athens International Airport, Dr. Yiannis Paraschis, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Athens International Airport, Mr. Loukas Papazoglou, and the Rector of the Athens University of Economics and Business, Professor Gregory P. Prastakos.	The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Athens International Airport, Mr. Loukas Papazoglou	The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Athens International Airport, Mr. Loukas Papazoglou	The Rector of the Athens University of Economics and Business, Professor Gregory P. Prastakos