Located just twenty kilometers from the center of Athens, the Metropolitan Water Airport of Hellenic Seaplanes aims to become a landmark for the broader Attica region. After clarifying the legal framework and despite facing some setbacks, Hellenic Seaplanes proceeded with and completed an internal competition for the design of the metropolitan water aerodrome, involving architectural firms from Greece and abroad. The architectural firm Pieris Architects, which prevailed over the other proposals, has begun the design of the related study for the metropolitan water aerodrome at the Elefsina harbor. The complete proposal will soon be presented to the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF).

The primary goal of the study for the Metropolitan Water Aerodrome in Elefsina is to design a state-of-the-art airport of high standards and to leverage the building’s infrastructure to create a continuous social activity space with free public access. It will provide visitors with an experiential journey through welcoming spaces that exude understated luxury, featuring a strong Greek influence.

The studies for the licensing of the water aerodrome have been completed, and the approvals are expected, as it is now just a matter of time. The CEO of the company (Petrichor Capital Partners), Ioannis Chasikos, informed the management of the Elefsina Port Authority that his company wishes to invest in the Metropolitan Water Aerodrome of Elefsina, and that he and his partners are in Greece for this purpose, simultaneously evaluating the rest of the water aerodrome network.

It is worth noting the determination with which the management of the Elefsina Port Authority and the local community are supporting the development and operation of the water aerodrome. Specifically, the Managing Director, Mr. Charalambos Gargaretas, stated: “I believe the creation of a metropolitan water aerodrome in Elefsina is of great importance for the water aeroplane sector and the broader Elefsina area. The metropolitan water aerodrome in Elefsina will be a state-of-the-art marine airport of high standards, and the utilization of the port’s infrastructure will economically strengthen the city and the surrounding area while simultaneously serving both Greeks and …foreign visitors. The Organization has perhaps taken the most significant step in the development of water aerodromes in Greece because Attica needs a metropolitan water aerodrome…”

Regarding the water airport, it will be fully equipped, with comfortable, functional, and aesthetically pleasing reception areas, offices, and a medical unit with an ambulance for the immediate transport of patients to hospitals in Attica. Additionally, shops, three restaurants, and space for parallel business activities will be operational. It is noteworthy that the design by Pieris Architects incorporates the latest sustainable development technologies into a bioclimatic building, which aspires to become a landmark and a catalyst for the regeneration of the broader area around the Elefsina harbor, which currently exhibits signs of degradation and abandonment.

The President and CEO of Hellenic Seaplanes S.A., Mr. Nikolas Charalambous, in response to a related question, said: “…Currently, more than 80 water airports across Greece are in the licensing and implementation phase, and if all goes well, by 2019, Greeks will be able to fly almost everywhere by seaplane. It has been proven that such an initiative will benefit the elimination of the isolation of our remote island areas, strengthen the relationships between local communities and the main national core of the country, and promote the commercial and social development of islands and places in the broader Greek area, which today justifiably feel marginalized.”

Concluding, Mr. Charalambous said: “We want Greece to be open to investments with a clear legal framework and the availability of necessary investment incentives, as is the case in other countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany… 

The development of a nationwide water airport network can boost the tourism industry, create new jobs, and support the transportation of patients by air, both for Greeks and tourists visiting Greece.

Finally, the metropolitan water aerodrome is a multi-million-euro investment, which is estimated to contribute to the transformation of the area and will create many new job opportunities…”

Mr. Charalambous, however, remains optimistic, stating: “We are now in the final stretch, there is a clear direction, and that direction is the Greece of seaplanes, Greece as the Maldives of Europe…”