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Athens airport "Eleftherios Venizelos" is facing a very tough year, admitted the manager of the Athens International Airport Yiannis Parashis. The greatest threat to Greek civil air transport, according to him, is the shift of interest towards low-cost airlines, which, he said, undercut the market. "There cannot be an airport without money yet with the best services," said the specialist to journalists. Parashis stated that the airlines currently serving the main airport in Spata receive the highest level of services and airport fees correspond to quality. He explained that if Greece wants high quality tourism, the introduction of low-cost airlines would not help achieve this goal. "There is no targeted strategy for the development of tourism and this hampers the sector," said Parashis.

Despite the deepening crisis and the recession, Athens International Airport has gained good profits for its shareholders - around one billion euro in 2011, 750 million of which went to the treasury. The results are very good, especially when compared with those of other major airports in the Mediterranean region, as in Spain. ΑΕΝΑ recorded losses of 500 million euro last year. "We will not emerge from the crisis without targeted management policy. Currently, Greek airlines are threatened because low-cost airlines are preferred. What they do not see here is that the internal market of Spain is destroyed. Spanair closed and Vueling is fighting for its life," the manager of the major airport in Greece explained the dynamics between the low-cost airlines and the sector development. He stated that criticism of the high airport fees of "Eleftherios Venizelos" is groundless, because the airport maintains a high price to quality ratio.
 
The management of Athens airport is also interested in the operation of the 34 regional airports in the country, which are soon to be auctioned as part of the privatization programme of the fund for public property development. The final decisions on investment projects will depend on how the Greek government will prefer to denationalize infrastructures. "It is not certain that all regional airports will offer golden opportunities," said the businessman.
 
Athens airport supported the European Union initiative for reducing the annual carbon dioxide emissions by 20%, within the programme for greener Europe 20/20/20. Last year, the airport slightly exceeded the norm and the emission of harmful gases in the atmosphere resulting from the developed activity was reduced by 21%. In practice, this means that there are 14,000 tons less carbon dioxide in the air of Athens. "The fact that more airports are voluntarily joining the European programme for managing and reducing carbon emissions demonstrates the seriousness with which the international airport community faces the challenges of climate change and environmental protection," said Parashis.