About Athens
Athens Airport is also the sixth busiest airport in Europe and the first in the European Union.
The airport features an operational distance of 41km from Athens city centre and therefore enables passengers to move between the city and the airport without having to cross any roads. The Airport is situated on the northern fringes of Athens City, due north of the city centre, close to the capital’s international railway station.
Today, Athens International Airport is the fastest growing airport in Europe in terms of passenger traffic. Since the beginning of 2009, the number of passengers arriving to the airport has grown by 37%, reaching over 11.1 million passengers in 2021, representing 42% of the total air traffic in Greece.
About Athens International Airport
The Athens International Airport is one of the busiest airports in Europe with a single point of entry in both directions. Operating at full capacity, the Airport consists of nine passenger terminals, with over 4.2 million people passing through each year and approximately 150,000 flights per year.
The Airport has an operational distance of 41 km from the city centre and a main hub status in Athens-Damascus and Athens-Lisbon. From the Athens International Airport, passengers can transfer to five international airports, four domestic airports and eleven international destinations in Europe, Middle East and Asia.
Athens International Airport is also the seventh busiest airport in Europe and the first in the European Union.
Athens International Airport has the largest transportation hub within the area, with over 60 destinations in Greece and hundreds of flights and departures per day.
Athens International Airport is a state-of-the-art, high-capacity airport with cutting-edge technology and infrastructure.
Athens International Airport features over 250 shops, a pharmacy, café and restaurants. At the airport, passengers can purchase tickets to many of the most popular destinations around the world, as well as purchase railway tickets to the Greek capital.
Where to go if you need to check-in and get a boarding pass
If you’re trying to get to Athens from anywhere in the world, the best place to check-in and get a boarding pass is the Blue Tab Terminal in Athens Airport.
Why is the Blue Tab Terminal best?
Check-in in the Blue Tab Terminal in Athens Airport is faster and easier than anywhere else. You only have to show your passport and boarding pass and you are given a window seat to pass the time before your flight.
Other things you need to know about Athens Airport
Why the Blue Tab Terminal is best
Although the Blue Tab Terminal in Athens Airport is the first one in Greece, it is still the fastest check-in option. The Blue Tab Terminal has fast service and a fast turnaround time for checking in and getting your boarding pass. The ticket desks, the check-in desk and the baggage carousels are all within easy reach for your gate and transport.
You can travel to the Blue Tab Terminal faster by cab or bus than by driving. Athens Airport is served by three bus lines, and the Blue Tab Terminal is served by two bus routes. At times, there is a change in the transport system for the Blue Tab Terminal as the intercity buses from Athens to the Blue Tab Terminal usually go to the Airport’s International Terminal, although there is only one bus that goes directly to the Blue Tab Terminal.
It is a great idea to get your boarding pass, check-in and get a ticket at the Blue Tab Terminal as it is the cheapest and quickest option for checking in at Athens Airport. It will also save you the time and money of having to go to the Blue Tab Terminal every time you want to check in, buy a ticket or get a boarding pass for another destination.
The Blue Tab Terminal is far less crowded than the rest of the airport. If you need to get to a specific location, though, you should arrive early.
Also read: 37 Best Things to Do in Athens, Greece
Getting to Athens Airport from Athens City
Check-in at the Blue Tab Terminal in Athens Airport is the quickest way to get to the airport. Two bus lines connect directly to the Blue Tab Terminal. The first bus route from Athens City Center travels right to the Blue Tab Terminal. However, when it is very busy, there is a change of the bus route as the bus goes to the International Terminal instead of the Blue Tab Terminal. It goes to the Blue Tab Terminal just in time for you to check-in and get a boarding pass.
However, the second bus route from Athens City Centre takes you to the Blue Tab Terminal, but only when the Blue Tab Terminal is very busy. The bus arrives at the Blue Tab Terminal and immediately departs. It doesn’t make any stops, only to drop passengers off at the Blue Tab Terminal. There is just one bus that stops at the Blue Tab Terminal if the bus is highly crowded.
But if the Blue Tab Terminal is not very busy, it can take you much longer than just one hour to get to the Blue Tab Terminal. You need to be at the Blue Tab Terminal when it is very busy.
When it is very busy, there is a change of buses, with the first bus taking you straight to the Blue Tab Terminal, and the second bus taking you to the Blue Tab Terminal and then leaving.
The bus stops at the Blue Tab Terminal only when there is a large queue of passengers who are getting to their flights.
Other things to know about Athens Airport
Check-in at Athens Airport is very convenient. It is a much faster option than anywhere else.
If you’re trying to get to Athens from anywhere in the world, the best place to check-in and get a boarding pass is the Blue Tab Terminal in Athens Airport.
If you are not sure of the airport for your destination, check-in online at one of the travel booking websites.
About Berlin Airport
Berlin’s security response is extensive. The security fence between the German capital and Berlin Airport, near the northern railway station, runs alongside the city’s river embankment. Once the passengers are inside the fence, cameras monitor every corner of the airport and can instantly call for help to handle an emergency. Once inside the airport building, travelers have to go through scanners and can only access areas with ticket counters, where they are only required to carry identification cards. The Federal Police conduct extra checks and security audits on all aircraft, and German officials inspect all baggage and freight travelling to and from Berlin Airport.
The German federal police alone has a long list of regulations and rules. Individuals that enter Germany or come in contact with German citizens are required to keep up with a daily report of their whereabouts, carry a passport, and carry their identity card with them at all times. The police checks on individuals are further increased when they are traveling to or through Germany, for example by forcing travelers to show their passport, residence permit, identity card and stay within a city limit. If a foreigner fails to provide such documentation within a designated time, the police may demand them to prove their identity. During that time, they are only allowed to leave their hotel in the presence of the police officer.
At the airport, visitors will observe the stringent rules and the obvious identification criteria at the checkpoints. Passengers arriving at Berlin’s airports will have to keep their identity cards on them at all times and keep them with them at all times. They will also have to show them to airport officials at the entrance to each terminal. As for the new flights to the capital, the passengers will be subject to baggage searches and may be subjected to additional security checks after they have landed at Berlin’s international airport. The German capital has already installed strict security measures at its airports, but Germany’s increased security measures in recent years have also resulted in a reduction in human liberties. In September 2021, a decree went into effect that requires people to cooperate with police in cases of terrorist attacks, otherwise they will be subject to penalties of up to €10,000.
Even with the adjustment in security procedures, flights to and from Berlin will operate on a regular schedule, and authorities are convinced that the changes will have no impact on the airport’s functioning. The airport will be closed after the last flights of the day on September 4, so that German authorities can arrange the new security measures.
History of Berlin’s Airport
Berlin-Brandenburg Airport was founded as an airport for commercial and passenger flights in the summer of 1948. Its first flight to the German capital was made by the German Luftwaffe, during the World War II, on September 25, 1944. One year later, a regular passenger flight operated from Berlin to Prague via Frankfurt, while another flight flew directly from the German capital to Hamburg. The construction of Berlin’s new airport required an extensive process and several shifts, since all equipment used was previously used at the German capital’s existing airports. The German Luftwaffe performed the first flight to the German capital on June 25, 1944, during World War II. The facility was almost finished by the beginning of the next year, but the airport remained unused for several years due to the cold war and tensions between Berlin and the Soviet Union. The Berlin air force lost several planes to Soviet fighters before the Berlin air force could deploy to the airport. By 1963, the airport began operating for commercial flights and it served approximately 500,000 people in the first year of operation. With a construction value of 623 million Deutsche Marks, Berlin’s airport was the most expensive airport construction in history, including the construction of Berlin’s other airports Schönefeld and Stuttgart. When the Berlin air force was stationed at Berlin’s central air base at Brandenburg, the existing airfields were renamed Berlin-Brandenburg Airbase. The air force began to move to the airbase in 1962. At the end of September 1963, the first commercial flight operated from Berlin’s central airbase to Athens. The air force’s flights to Athens were temporarily suspended after the Soviet Union decided to close the airfield for military flights. On September 26, 1965, German parliament gave the authorities permission to rename the airfield Berlin-Brandenburg Airport, which also became the permanent name of the facility.
The airport has been a key hub for German carriers Lufthansa, Germanwings, and Eurowings since the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The airports in Berlin and Hamburg have regularly had over 50 percent of their entire passenger traffic passing through Berlin’s airport. During the first quarter of 2021, more than 26.7 million passengers passed through Berlin’s airport, which is an increase of more than 8 percent compared to the same period last year.
Subsequent Growth and Development
Today, Berlin’s airport is one of the major European airports and it is responsible for facilitating over 15 percent of all international passenger traffic in Germany and for 25 percent of all air traffic within Europe. The airport currently has regular flights to over 100 destinations worldwide, including all major international hubs and major cities in Germany. The airport’s central location means it is the only major international airport within a 50-kilometer radius.
During the first half of 2021, Berlin’s airport served a total of 63.5 million passengers, including 23.3 million from domestic flights and 40.3 million from international flights. The airport has the largest duty-free shopping area in Europe, including the three biggest airports in Germany, along with the largest shopping centre in the region. The new central location of the airport will allow more international flights and a lower load factor.
During the next decades, Berlin’s airport will expand and the modernization process will continue until it reaches the necessary capacity in the near future. The Berlin airport’s central location will help it attract a greater number of passengers from other regions. The airport is developing its own transit network and other new passenger transportation services. The airport expects its transit traffic to increase to around 90,000 passengers by 2021.