Greece Is Turning an Abandoned Airport Into a Huge Coastal Park

It will feature a new public beach, 50km of walking and cycle paths and 31,000 new trees from native species. Ellinikon International Airport served Athens for 63 years until it closed in 2001. Much of the airport’s infrastructure will be recycled. 29,000m2 of runway asphalt will become benches and paving and the original terminal building will be repurposed into an event space. Developers will begin transforming the 242-hectare site this year. Athens is low on green infrastructure. Of Europe’s capital cities, only Valletta in Malta has less.