After years of wrangling the proposed demolition of five buildings in the abandoned Hellinikon International Airport complex on October 31, mark the first steps in the redevelopment of the site near the Greek capital – considered to be the biggest development project in Europe.

The airport situated near Piraeus was closed in 2001. Plans to develop the  airport complex with  958 buildings were first revealed in 2012 when the Greek government sought investors to commercially develop the site.

One of the leading property investors in Greece, Lamda Develpment undertook to develop the site but met with many delays.

The current government has introduced legislation to streamline the process for the development of the old airport complex.

In May an order was issued for the demolition of over 400 buildings in the airport area and this has paved the way for work to begin that was also delayed by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the work will commence at the end of October it will take many years before the project is completed.

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Greece’s Minister for Development Adonis Georgiadis, said at the recent Delphi Economic Forum that the airport redevelopment would go ahead despite the delays this year that were caused by the pandemic.

He added that he was concerned whether a feared second wave of COVID-19 in the northern autumn would again delay the schedule for the development.

Thirteen buildings, including the old airport’s East Terminal designed by Finnish architect Eero Saarinen, will not be demolished.

READ MORE: Plans to upgrade former Hellinikon airport approved by Council of State