Athens International Airport received a "Commendation in the Culture category", in the framework of the 2003 Corporate Social Responsibility Excellence Awards - organised by the Greek Advertisers Association - for offering aspects of civilisation, Greek history and tradition to thousands of passengers passing through the airport daily.
Through a series of cultural initiatives, such as the permanent "Exhibition of Archaeological Findings from the Airport Area", the publication of the archive edition "Mesogaia - History and Culture of Mesogeia in Attica", the permanent photo exhibition "Eleftherios Venizelos at Athens International Airport", and the exhibition "Byzantine
Hours" (November 2001-June 2002), AIA promotes and sustains the cultural heritage of our country, focusing on the greater airport area.
During the official awards ceremony organised in the evening of November 18th by the Greek Advertisers Association at the "Athens Hilton", AIA's "Commendation" was received by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Professor Kostis Vaitsos, who stated that Athens Airport, a crossroads for people and cultures, considers cultural activity and initiative a significant priority, alongside the airport operations serving thousands of passengers daily.
Athens International Airport promotes consistently its social & cultural role through a series of editions, art and cultural exhibitions and other initiatives, added Professor Vaitsos.
The Social Responsibility Excellence Awards, a bi-annual institution initiated in 2001, aims to underline the social profile of Greek enterprises' activities. AIA's first participation comprised 7 theme groups focusing on "People", "Environment", and "Culture".
The Evaluation Committee comprised representatives of the Greek Advertisers Association (EDEE), the Greek Consumers Institute (INKA), the Daily Newspapers
Association (ESHEA), the Federation of Greek Industries (SEV), the Ministries of Press & Mass Media, Culture, National Education and Religious Affairs, and other public entities.