Athens International Airport "Eleftherios Venizelos" is set to move to IATA Level 3, the highest tier of coordinated slot management, beginning with the upcoming winter scheduling season, as authorities move to address chronic delays driven by overbooked peak-hour flights, aging air traffic control systems and airspace pressure from the Middle East, according to local media reports.
The stricter regime, which will remain in place through the 2027 summer season, will make airport slots legally binding, with airlines facing administrative and financial penalties for violations.
The airport currently operates under IATA Level 2, in which the National Slot Coordination Authority can only recommend schedule changes to airlines, without enforcement power, allowing carriers to retain oversized schedules even when they exceed runway capacity.
The scale of the mismatch is stark: while planning assumes capacity for 35 departures and 31 arrivals per hour, airlines have scheduled as many as 45 to 50 movements in the same window. On June 5, 48 departures were scheduled within a single hour, far exceeding operational capacity.
The issue was addressed at a high-level meeting involving Greece's Civil Aviation Authority, air navigation services, airport officials, airlines and air traffic controllers — the first such gathering at that level focused specifically on summer delays since 2024. Participants agreed to hold follow-up technical meetings to coordinate next steps.
Airport officials and air traffic controllers disagree on the root cause of the delays. Airport representatives argue the problem lies in how daily traffic flows are managed rather than total flight volume, while controllers point to heavy concentration of flights during the morning peak, which triggers cascading delays throughout the day.
Additional strain comes from private aircraft, medical evacuation flights and diplomatic missions exempt from slot coordination, as well as rerouted international traffic linked to Middle East tensions.
Compounding the pressure, major airport expansion works are set to begin this winter, temporarily limiting operations to a single runway for extended periods, with authorities already assessing the impact on terminals, parking stands and baggage handling.