Thank you, sir for putting this video together. It brings back lots of good memories. As an assyrian man, We lived in Ano Kalamaki from 1978 to end of 1980 and then we moved to USA at the end of 1980. My brother and I were 9 and 10 years old when we moved to Greece in 1978 from Iran when the civil war started. Greece was and it is still an amazing country. The people, culture and nature are one of a kind. This was the airport that we landed in when we arrived to Greece and it was the airport that we left Greece. There was a Saint Joseph church on top of a hill in Ano Kalamaki that we'd walk to and watch all of the international airplanes descend very close to ground and over our head and land. This airport was truly an iconic landmark.
Thank you for your comments, when you arrived in 1978 I had already left for the USA (Boston)... I was in Athens last year and all the old airport building are completely gone, demolished...
Great video Vic! I'm 54, and it brings back many memories of our family's trips to Greece in the 60's and 70's. We used to fly Olympic, TWA, and Pan Am 707's and 747's nonstop from JFK airport NYC to Athens.
+AudiophileTubes I am glad that you liked this video my friend. It was a special assignment of mine to videotape this airport when I was in Greece for a couple of days in 2014. Thank you for viewing my videos!!
I remember arriving from Chicago in 1974 as a member of the US Air Force, my husband was already stationed there and I had to retrain into a new career field which took 9 months. I landed on the International side of the flight line, I remember walking down the stairs then across the tarmac to show my papers and passport. I could see my husband waving at me, he was up above where all the waiting people were, I was so thrilled to see all the people and feel the lovely weather. And those same doors were there when we moved backed to the states 4 years later......aww such fond memories, thank you!
Hello there I really just wanted to thank you for posting this video i used to travel to Greece every year starting in 94 with my father both from the east terminal and west to go to Samos. my father passed 3 years ago and watching this almost brought me to tears thinking of the memories of these airports absolutely amazing thank you so much
Thank you Vic. What a wonderful video. So many memories. I first flew through this airport in 1978, and used it nearly every year until 1994. Sad to see it in such a state now. It was such a charming place with a wonderful viewing area. Many thanks again.
Sincere thanks for uploading this valuable video. It brought back the days of my youth. I'm about to cry. Ειλικρινείς ευχαριστίες για τη μεταφόρτωση αυτού του πολύτιμου βίντεο. Μου έφερε πίσω τις μέρες της νιότης μου. Είμαι έτοιμος να κλάψω.
I came first time in Athens in july 1985 from this airport. I Was with my mate to discover the country and live adventures. We stayed at Voula camping for few days ,nearby Glyfada and I remember well the airplanes flying Just above our heads before landing at Hellinikon airport. We went to Palea Epidavros Bekas camping enjoying life for a week, then another week at Delphy camping north of Athens. We left Athens the 25 of july from Hellinikon, Just after have been to "Athens Rock Festival" at Olympic Stadium ... I went back to Greece many time and you can be sure Vic I will come back again because I love your country. Thanks a lot for your sentimental tour, I am always nostalgic of this good time when I think about my first trip in Athens , Cheers
Thanks for watching! 😊😊😊All of the buildings shown here have now been demolished, this video will be part of history since these buildings do not exist anymore..
Thank you so much for making this video. I can empathize with you regarding your memories. I used to come through this terminal and be so excited for the love of my life was waiting for me.
+Judith Pipino Thank you for viewing my videos, this was a very special place for me and I am glad that during one of my return visits to Athens, I was able to videotape part of both terminals...
I also appreciate your tour of these two buildings. I loved being part of the history. I spent many hours traveling through this airport. and I am saddened that at least the Eero Saarinen building, which was an architectural beauty.
Hello, thank you for watching my videos!! 😊😊😊I have just arrived in Athens once again and all the buildings of the old airport have now been completely demolished!
Great video Vic, i know there is a large development project underway. Is there anyway of doing an update on this. I would love to walk on the old runway or taxiway.
I will try.. Going back to Athens in September and will see what I can do.. I hear that all the buildings have now been demolished and the place is full of construction..
@@VicStefanu just today I walked around the perimeter of the old airport. The three planes on display near the golf course entrance have been relocated. The main terminal building is still there but deteriorating. The runways are mostly gone. This video fortunately captures much of the old airport before it has completely deteriorated.
Yes I remember this airport well. 1994 I was stuck here in summer right in the middle of an air traffic control strike. The air conditioning wasn't working, people were fighting with officials and everyone was smoking inside. Bad memory for me.
I used to attend the high school that was a about a mile or two away, and me and my friends would sometimes skip class to go have coffee at the "goodbye"(a coffee shop where you could watch the planes take off and land). Thanks for the video
Great video! Kinda sad to see something that was once a bustling terminal to somewhere that is totally dead! I Flew there in August 1994 for a family holiday to Poros - our first one abroad when I was 11. An amazing holiday. And I can remember the packed terminal and queues snaking out the door when we flew back.. The memories! 😃
Thanks Vic, I passed through this beautiful Airport in Dec '76, Feb '79 and last time was June '84. It truly was a bustling and exciting place full of activity, so sad to see it now as a corpse of a once beautiful place! I remember sitting at Athenian bayside beaches and watching jet after jet after jet coming and going, it was such a busy airport!
Thank you for your comments and for viewing my videos!! When I was a young man in the late 60s, early 70s, I lived close to Athens (Pireas) and I remember doing the same, watching the planes taking off and landing (especially the TWA and the PANAM 747s)...
Hi flew here on my first holiday to greece with the old britannia airways on a 737-200 in the early 80's to catch a ferry to the island of spetses from piraus harbour remeber being put up in an hotel for a few hours till around 9 am , the hotel was under the approach path watched all the different aircraft landing till it was time to go for the ferry.
Andy Pappas I am glad that you liked it, thank you for watching my videos. I have received so many wonderful emails about this video from people from around the world...
Remember it too, first time 74 and last time was it 2001? That time there was a meeting with people coming in from other countries who were having a meeting about plans architecture etc for new airport! Memories for me too.
I remember this airport in 1993, I flew in from NYC.....I was stunned for to see an iconic world famous mega city like Athens showcase such a tiny airport, it almost felt like a Bus Terminal. And that was at time when the airport was vibrant and buzzing with travelers....a much better state than this videos shows....and yet it was depressing to see even when it was open for business. Airports are usually a gateway into a nation's culture...and so many are designed to give you an exciting overwhelming welcoming experience with grandiose ceilings, spacious corridors, along with their architecture depth and complex designs. But this Athens airport was sad.
Grazie Stefanu, sono stato per la prima volta in questo aeroporto nel 1989. Grande viaggio nella vostra meravigliosa terra, grande popolo greco. Un ricordo bellissimo meraviglioso. Ho conosciuto un ragazzo greco a firenze nel 1977, siamo rimasti grandi amici e ancora oggi ci sentiamo e io vengo in grecia a trovare il mio grande amico che vive a Chios.
@@VicStefanu Grazie a Te, grazie a tutto il Popolo Greco, Grazie alla Vostra Cultura e Civiltà che ancora oggi state cercando di preservare e consolidare a memoria del vostro grande passato che oggi è più che mai esempio per il futuro delle democrazie in tutto il mondo. Grazie a tutti i Greci che cercano di tutelare il loro territorio, grazie per la Vostra accoglienza, dando la possibilità a chi visita il vostro Paese vivere giornate indimenticabili in un terra che rappresenta il διαδὴμα del mediterraneo.
The area around the Olympic Airlines terminal was used for several competitive events, I drive around that area last summer and everything has not been torn down..
Yes, there use to be a US base at this airport.. It was there when I left in 1977.. When I returned in 1988, all the buildings of the base were abandoned..
Hello, I saw this video because I wanted to remember the hard and good days at this airport in 2016. I was one of the immigrants who lived at the airport with my family for a year when I was 12 years old and now eight years have passed. And I am now 20 years old, and I live in Germany, I hope to travel to Athens one day I know every corner here How quickly it goes by...
Hi Vic, I was wondering can anyone walk inside Hellinikon airport or do you need a permit? Thanx for the video. Very emotional for me too. As a kid I used to fly there every summer from Luxembourg where I grew up. cheers man
There was talk in the early 70’s of moving this airport to where it is now but there was no money until the EC financed the building of the new airport.
I remember coming for the first time to greece with mum in the mid 90's. Seeing the state of the airport now is shocking and sad...tropi stin ellada. Thanks for sharing, know how you feel filming this...
These days, as all airports looks so faceless ly the same, whether you are in Tel Aviv, Munich, Bogotá or wherever else - it is nice to recall this airport. It had a character. To me it is forever associated with my holidays in Greece as a youngster.
I lived in Greece, Voula, for 3 years. I left there in August of '77...probably two or three weeks before you did... I met 3 of my classmates at the airport who I thought had come to see me off. Actually they came to meet a friend who was landing and were lost in the wrong terminal.
phitou1 Hello, thank you for your comments and for watching my videos!! If you have not done so by now, please subscribe to my channel for more exciting videos from around the world, here is the link: www.youtube.com//user/vstefanu?sub_confirmation=1
I used to live there (1987-1989) when the old air force base was still a thing. Not too far off at Etharchou Makariou. Crazy to see it all in disrepair.
@@VicStefanu Hey Vic, old check in here but it looks like there is a very good chance I will get to finally return to Athens after almost 30 years. Wanted to reach out and see if you still lived in the area.
@@VicStefanu cheers for the video very appreciated I sat on those blue seats ,thesaloniki 2001 was the yr we come from Glasgow this video blew my mind ,we had a delay on it lay out on the grass .heraklion corfu syros etc to many to remember but those plastic seats I never thought I'd see that in my life looking bck ruined .peace n thnks
Hello, I would like to visit the old airport in Athens so badly. Can you go there and have a look or is it forbidden? Are there any guided tours that I could book? I find such abandoned place ultra fascinating and I want to see them in person. Please contact me. Thanks!
Hi.. I was in Athens last year and the old airport buildings have been demolished.. There is a new development being built, the whole area is guarded and fences everywhere...
My dad came here in 85 and 90 on an Olympic airways 747 all the way from Melbourne, I could imagine what there faces would be like if they saw it like this
Vic... another totally awesome thing ...about your documentation of these places is that...we must mourn.. people...and places that were dear to us.... I don't like it..but it's necessary...We are then able to move on ...and then we may fondly reminese ..on occasion..Thank you dear!!😢
Excellent video Vic, I was there today. Unfortunately I never flew in or out of Hellinikon but I always find these sites amazing. Earlier this year I visited and produced two blogs on Kai Tak in Hong Kong and Old Baiyun airports in Guangzhou. Kai Tak's terminal has been completely demolished and the latter has become a shopping mall! I am now gathering info for a Hellinikon blog hence my watching your video. Thanks for posting.
Thank you for your comments and for viewing my videos!! I was in Greece this last summer and went to this airport once again but this time I was not allowed to go close to the building because they were housing many refugees...
No refugees now, terminal was locked but not sure why as it's already been gutted. The catering building was open but very creepy. There were some groundsmen clearing the tumbleweed from the apron - again not sure why, maybe in preparation for potential developers?
This airport is very creepy in some way. A lot of people who visited it while it was abandoned say that. Somebody else on here said that guards patrol the grounds. An Urbex person was asked to leave. So that makes it sound a bit creepy.
Hi Peter.. the day I was videotaping this site, a homeless person came towards me from inside one of the buildings and this is why that scene ends abruptly.. and yes, there were guards there but they were useless.. this whole site is not being demolished..
Nice seems like a very interesting video of the old abandoned airport in Athens, Greece so you say came to America in 1977 to immigrate right, I just have a question between years were the wave of Greeks immigrating to Canada and America what was the reason behind why they left their country? btw I'm personally from Canada but I'm not Greek which I'm still interested
+Kevin Spindel Hi Kevin, thank you for viewing my videos.. I moved to the States in 1977 to go to university.. at that time, a large wave of Greeks moved to the USA to study, but by 1979 no one came, the financial situation (the currency exchange) had gotten so much worse due to high inflation in Greece... the reason I left the country was to study and the majority of the Greeks (especially now) leave the country because of the financial conditions which are, in general, horrible ...
+Vic Stefanu - World Travels and Adventures Cool I hear that Greece between the years 1967-1974 was Fascist with a Millitary Junta Regime under Papadopoulos where a lot of Greeks fled during the regime and after the regime fell as well, btw it must of been kinda creepy to go inside an old abandoned airport
Ellinikon Airport should have been an airport for domestic flights. Or they should have renovated it and have a second one for international and domestic flights because Greece is a popular tourist destination. Instead they left it to rot. This airport brings me back so many memories
Can you go Inside ?, I mean for me ....I was used to spoting the plains outside the terminal 30-25 years ago...I was spending my holidays in Glyfada...At the Golden Sun Hotel....Five minutes with te bus...I had great time in Greece....
Vic, what happened to the American air base right next to the airport when the Americans were kicked out in the 90’s? Are the facilities even standing now?
That American air base was closed 7-8 years after I left Greece and all the buildings had been empty and abandoned for quite a few years.. I remember seeing them when I drove by when I visited Greece in the mid 1990s..
No, I never found out... Thank you for your comments and for watching my videos, I hope that you have already subscribed to my channel for more exciting videos from around the world
Greetings. When did they create the terminal on the eastern side of the old airport? In the mid 1960s I remember only the terminal being on the western (sea) side. I lived in Glyfada during the mid 1960s.
I think the eastern terminal was built around 1968 to 1970, I remember this time because my father flew there from a trip and he was amazed at the marble on the floors of the new terminal..
I landed at that Airport twice when i went to Greece for our Summer holidays in 1979 and 1987. So sad to see it like that i had no idea it got burnt ..my aunt and uncle live at Γλυφαδα and from their place u can see the Airport from far distant. :'(
It's really sad that Greece has been economically in trouble for so many years now. This would have been a great space to convert into a Public area, with plane and war history museums. Sad that it looks like it is now far beyond that possibility. I hope Greece recovers soon my friend. Such a wonderful country, but under such hard times
Sure....it tooks 5 minutes with a taxi from the Airport to our hotel in Glyfada....and you know what, once on the beach or by the pool my mother and I we were making contest....Style, records of planes today....the record was more or less 300 flights...Top of the show at 8.00 AM, at breakfeast time a B-747 from TWA....When this flight arrives above the hotel ....everything was shaking....Not so secured, because he was so down....
Hey Vic I really like your videos I want to ask you some questions so I heard that Hellinkon Airport (Old Athens Airport) was abandoned in 2001 where they opened a brand new really large modernized international airport in another part Athens which its called Eleftherios Venizelos Airport in time for the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics? How was like to be at Hellinkon Airport I'm aware it was much smaller and as well I heard that it did not have passenger jet bridges and that passengers to go into and out of planes from the outside using the air stairs that buses would take them to the plane is this true? Which part of Greece are you originally from and why did you leave to America? Which city and country do you currently live in right now? Btw the videos my favourite videos from you channel that I saw were the abandoned Olympic stadium in Athens where it was a really cool and awesome video that was interesting to see with it being kinda creepy since its abandoned as well the video about your visit to Auschwitz Concentration Camp which was a very sad video but really good though and many more other videos I really like to see in your channel. There are many airports and places around that are abandoned around the world you should check them out. I myself love travelling a lot too which I have done it several times before but I'm only a student and secondly I don't think I would have enough money to travel so much. I am really interested in history, alternate history, politics, geography and so on anyways I recommend you subscribe to my channel cause I already subscribed yours a while ago anyways greetings from Toronto, Canada
Hi there.. yes, it is true that the old airport did not have jet bridges and buses had to be used to transport passengers from and to the aircraft.. I am from Pireas and went to the States to study at a University (which I finished in the early 1980s) and now I live in London. Thank you for your wonderful comments and for viewing my videos and, do not forget that travelling combined with the knowledge of history is one of the greatest pleasures in life..
Thank you for your comments and for watching my videos, I hope that you have already subscribed to my channel for more exciting videos from around the world - beginning on December 17, 2014, please follow my channel as I go on a 14-month tour of the Indian and Pacific oceans passing through many exotic countries and places. I look forward to your feedback and comments as new videos are uploaded during this once in a lifetime adventure of mine
i also lived in THE BIG. APPLE. for 15 years near The Yankee Stadium. kai xero liga Ellinika plus ive recently gota a dracma something is hardly seen anymore . Opa.
I know that Nicosia International Airport in Nicosia, Cyprus was completely abandoned in 1974 due to the Greek-Turkish War in Cyprus I have seen videos of the airport it was quite interesting, maybe you should visit Cyprus and do a video about the Old Nicosia Airport that is abandoned
i visited it last week to practice driving my dads car. it looks so so bad now, and unfortunately its due to be demolished this year for a community unfortunately
@@VicStefanu well there is no point on exploring inside as not only are all the doors locked, but there are what seemed like refuges or Gypsies that where pretty scary looking
Thank you for posting this amazing Video. Am I right this airport was featured in the movie Operation Thunderbolt 1977 ? It sure looks the same. It's such a shame such a massive facility has become neglected and abandoned..
same gates i used in the seventies at the age of 7 to go to germany where my father worked and took the rest of the family with him.Again and again i used this airport.what a waste of chance to make smthg out of it instead to leave it becoming ghost structure!
![Η Ολυμπιακή μέσα απ' τον Ελληνικό κινηματογράφο [A' Μέρος]](/img/n.gif)
What a great video. This is now part of the historical record, and your narration made it even better. Thank you!
Thank you my friend!!
vic i laned last time at this airport was in 2000
Harold Betancourt r
These pieces or crap demolished it for nothing ..... they don’t Even know if the „Investment „ will start
Thank you, sir for putting this video together. It brings back lots of good memories. As an assyrian man, We lived in Ano Kalamaki from 1978 to end of 1980 and then we moved to USA at the end of 1980. My brother and I were 9 and 10 years old when we moved to Greece in 1978 from Iran when the civil war started. Greece was and it is still an amazing country. The people, culture and nature are one of a kind. This was the airport that we landed in when we arrived to Greece and it was the airport that we left Greece. There was a Saint Joseph church on top of a hill in Ano Kalamaki that we'd walk to and watch all of the international airplanes descend very close to ground and over our head and land. This airport was truly an iconic landmark.
Thank you for your comments, when you arrived in 1978 I had already left for the USA (Boston)... I was in Athens last year and all the old airport building are completely gone, demolished...
Great video Vic! I'm 54, and it brings back many memories of our family's trips to Greece in the 60's and 70's. We used to fly Olympic, TWA, and Pan Am 707's and 747's nonstop from JFK airport NYC to Athens.
+AudiophileTubes I am glad that you liked this video my friend. It was a special assignment of mine to videotape this airport when I was in Greece for a couple of days in 2014. Thank you for viewing my videos!!
I remember arriving from Chicago in 1974 as a member of the US Air Force, my husband was already stationed there and I had to retrain into a new career field which took 9 months. I landed on the International side of the flight line, I remember walking down the stairs then across the tarmac to show my papers and passport. I could see my husband waving at me, he was up above where all the waiting people were, I was so thrilled to see all the people and feel the lovely weather.
And those same doors were there when we moved backed to the states 4 years later......aww such fond memories, thank you!
Hi Diane, thank you for your comments!!!
Hello there I really just wanted to thank you for posting this video i used to travel to Greece every year starting in 94 with my father both from the east terminal and west to go to Samos. my father passed 3 years ago and watching this almost brought me to tears thinking of the memories of these airports absolutely amazing thank you so much
Thank you Vic. What a wonderful video. So many memories. I first flew through this airport in 1978, and used it nearly every year until 1994. Sad to see it in such a state now. It was such a charming place with a wonderful viewing area. Many thanks again.
mark1968 Thanks Mark.. I am so happy I finally got a chance to videotape this historic but very neglected airport..
Sincere thanks for uploading this valuable video.
It brought back the days of my youth. I'm about to cry.
Ειλικρινείς ευχαριστίες για τη μεταφόρτωση αυτού του πολύτιμου βίντεο.
Μου έφερε πίσω τις μέρες της νιότης μου. Είμαι έτοιμος να κλάψω.
Σας ευχαριστώ πάρα πολύ! 👍👍👍Χαίρομαι που απολαύσατε το βίντεο !!
I came first time in Athens in july 1985 from this airport. I Was with my mate to discover the country and live adventures. We stayed at Voula camping for few days ,nearby Glyfada and I remember well the airplanes flying Just above our heads before landing at Hellinikon airport.
We went to Palea Epidavros Bekas camping enjoying life for a week, then another week at Delphy camping north of Athens.
We left Athens the 25 of july from Hellinikon, Just after have been to "Athens Rock Festival" at Olympic Stadium ...
I went back to Greece many time and you can be sure Vic I will come back again because I love your country. Thanks a lot for your sentimental tour, I am always nostalgic of this good time when I think about my first trip in Athens , Cheers
Hi Samson and thank you for your wonderful comments. I am so glad you have great memories of Greece and of the airport...
This is a wonderful and treasured piece of history, and I have never been here. Thank you for sharing this.
Thanks for watching! 😊😊😊All of the buildings shown here have now been demolished, this video will be part of history since these buildings do not exist anymore..
Thank you so much for making this video. I can empathize with you regarding your memories. I used to come through this terminal and be so excited for the love of my life was waiting for me.
+Judith Pipino Thank you for viewing my videos, this was a very special place for me and I am glad that during one of my return visits to Athens, I was able to videotape part of both terminals...
I also appreciate your tour of these two buildings. I loved being part of the history. I spent many hours traveling through this airport. and I am saddened that at least the Eero Saarinen building, which was an architectural beauty.
Hello, thank you for watching my videos!! 😊😊😊I have just arrived in Athens once again and all the buildings of the old airport have now been completely demolished!
@@VicStefanu I am saddened by the news, but not surprised! Pure ignorance!
@@anthiemilonas7798 No problem, thank you! 😊😊😊
brings back memories left so many times from there
Unfortunately, all the buildings shown in this video have now been demolished..
Cool video, thank you. I almost literally stumbled upon this area when walking to Glyfada beach. Amazing to see in real life.
Unfortunately, most of the buildings have now been demolished.. thank you for watching!! 😊😊😊
Efcharisto para poli Vic ❤
🙂🙂
really like this video, brings a nice insight to a fantastic place, glad its still fairly open and you could do a video tour.
+James Curry Hello, thank you for your comments and for watching my videos!!
Great video Vic, i know there is a large development project underway. Is there anyway of doing an update on this. I would love to walk on the old runway or taxiway.
I will try.. Going back to Athens in September and will see what I can do.. I hear that all the buildings have now been demolished and the place is full of construction..
@@VicStefanu just today I walked around the perimeter of the old airport. The three planes on display near the golf course entrance have been relocated. The main terminal building is still there but deteriorating. The runways are mostly gone. This video fortunately captures much of the old airport before it has completely deteriorated.
Yes I remember this airport well. 1994 I was stuck here in summer right in the middle of an air traffic control strike. The air conditioning wasn't working, people were fighting with officials and everyone was smoking inside. Bad memory for me.
Wow, I can picture what you went through... Thank you for viewing my videos!!
I used to attend the high school that was a about a mile or two away, and me and my friends would sometimes skip class to go have coffee at the "goodbye"(a coffee shop where you could watch the planes take off and land). Thanks for the video
Great memories.. thank you for viewing my videos!!
Incredible that you were able to get in and walk around like this; bet you can't do that these days 🙃
Not anymore, they are demolishing every building now..
Great video! Kinda sad to see something that was once a bustling terminal to somewhere that is totally dead! I Flew there in August 1994 for a family holiday to Poros - our first one abroad when I was 11. An amazing holiday. And I can remember the packed terminal and queues snaking out the door when we flew back.. The memories! 😃
M W Hello, thank you for your comments and for watching my videos!!
Great! I was shearching for a video like this for hellinikon for 1 month and now I found it
Thanks Vic, I passed through this beautiful Airport in Dec '76, Feb '79 and last time was June '84. It truly was a bustling and exciting place full of activity, so sad to see it now as a corpse of a once beautiful place!
I remember sitting at Athenian bayside beaches and watching jet after jet after jet coming and going, it was such a busy airport!
Thank you for your comments and for viewing my videos!! When I was a young man in the late 60s, early 70s, I lived close to Athens (Pireas) and I remember doing the same, watching the planes taking off and landing (especially the TWA and the PANAM 747s)...
Great Video. You showed us the inside of the OA terminal, but not the international terminal. It was a nice airport. Love the new airport as well.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi flew here on my first holiday to greece with the old britannia airways on a 737-200 in the early 80's to catch a ferry to the island of spetses from piraus harbour remeber being put up in an hotel for a few hours till around 9 am , the hotel was under the approach path watched all the different aircraft landing till it was time to go for the ferry.
Thank you for sharing these memories with us...
I remember sitting in some park near the airport whilst waiting for my flight. Lovely place.
+paulakhs Thank you for viewing my videos!!
I know this Airport, not far away from Glyfada...5 kilometers away...I love Greece
Thank you for viewing my videos..
your welcome
Wow what a great idea for a video. I traveled as a kid through that airport and I kinda miss it now. Things were much simpler then, much better.
I agree, thank you for viewing my videos!!
Thank you for the memories that you brought back to me!!
+Nasos Deliadis Thank you for viewing my videos, this was a special assignment for me and I have been amazed at the positive response...
I love this video. Thank you so much it brings back so many memories. THANKS
Andy Pappas I am glad that you liked it, thank you for watching my videos. I have received so many wonderful emails about this video from people from around the world...
Remember it too, first time 74 and last time was it 2001? That time there was a meeting with people coming in from other countries who were having a meeting about plans architecture etc for new airport! Memories for me too.
Hello, thank you for your comments!!
Wow what memories i went through both sides of this airport 70s 80s 90s u jst made me 😪 i love 🇺🇸🇬🇷❤️❤️ ty for this video amazing👍
Hello and thank you for viewing my videos!!
I remember this airport in 1993, I flew in from NYC.....I was stunned for to see an iconic world famous mega city like Athens showcase such a tiny airport, it almost felt like a Bus Terminal. And that was at time when the airport was vibrant and buzzing with travelers....a much better state than this videos shows....and yet it was depressing to see even when it was open for business. Airports are usually a gateway into a nation's culture...and so many are designed to give you an exciting overwhelming welcoming experience with grandiose ceilings, spacious corridors, along with their architecture depth and complex designs. But this Athens airport was sad.
I agree with you, the old airport was a mess.. Luckily, the new airport has been one of Europe's best since its opening in 2001!!
Vic Stefanu in 1977 i was in Primary School and 10yrs old.. and in 2yr time 1979 decided to go to Greece.
Thank you for bringing up nostalgic memories
Grazie Stefanu, sono stato per la prima volta in questo aeroporto nel 1989. Grande viaggio nella vostra meravigliosa terra, grande popolo greco. Un ricordo bellissimo meraviglioso. Ho conosciuto un ragazzo greco a firenze nel 1977, siamo rimasti grandi amici e ancora oggi ci sentiamo e io vengo in grecia a trovare il mio grande amico che vive a Chios.
Ciao amico mio, grazie per i tuoi bei commenti!
@@VicStefanu Grazie a Te, grazie a tutto il Popolo Greco, Grazie alla Vostra Cultura e Civiltà che ancora oggi state cercando di preservare e consolidare a memoria del vostro grande passato che oggi è più che mai esempio per il futuro delle democrazie in tutto il mondo. Grazie a tutti i Greci che cercano di tutelare il loro territorio, grazie per la Vostra accoglienza, dando la possibilità a chi visita il vostro Paese vivere giornate indimenticabili in un terra che rappresenta il διαδὴμα del mediterraneo.
@@marcellomele8685 Ciao amico mio, grazie per i tuoi meravigliosi commenti
Amazing video. Would love to explore an abandoned airport one day
Thank you for viewing my videos!!
Coming back in Athens next june.....Very glad to see Greece again
Have a great time!!
Great video happy and sad memories did they not use it for athletes as athletes village during Athens Olympics
The area around the Olympic Airlines terminal was used for several competitive events, I drive around that area last summer and everything has not been torn down..
I believe the US Air Force used to have a operation facility at that airport complex. Passed by it a few times on the way down so Sounion.
Yes, there use to be a US base at this airport.. It was there when I left in 1977.. When I returned in 1988, all the buildings of the base were abandoned..
I Still remember in 1986 i was there
Thank you for your comments!!
The new airport is better everything in life changes put it behind and move forward
Great video! Its so amazing how important this bulding was for you, really nice!
Thank you for your comments!!
Hello, I saw this video because I wanted to remember the hard and good days at this airport in 2016. I was one of the immigrants who lived at the airport with my family for a year when I was 12 years old and now eight years have passed.
And I am now 20 years old, and I live in Germany, I hope to travel to Athens one day
I know every corner here
How quickly it goes by...
Oh my God, you lived in those buildings for a year?? I was in the USA at the time, I was not aware they had people in there… 😢
Yes, not only me but thousands of other people live here
@@masoumenikzad2003 OMG, I did not know.. at least it is now all destroyed and no more refugees live there any longer..
The US Air Force was there too. I used to go there as a child and later with the Air Force too. How's Voula Beach doing?
Since the Americans left, the whole area has changed..
Hi Vic, I was wondering can anyone walk inside Hellinikon airport or do you need a permit? Thanx for the video. Very emotional for me too. As a kid I used to fly there every summer from Luxembourg where I grew up. cheers man
Thank you for viewing my videos, You cannot go inside Hellinikon anymore, there are guards and they do not allow anyone inside..
There was talk in the early 70’s of moving this airport to where it is now but there was no money until the EC financed the building of the new airport.
I remember coming for the first time to greece with mum in the mid 90's. Seeing the state of the airport now is shocking and sad...tropi stin ellada. Thanks for sharing, know how you feel filming this...
Thank you for your comments!!
Very nice vid man. The memories!
Thank you!!
These days, as all airports looks so faceless ly the same, whether you are in Tel Aviv, Munich, Bogotá or wherever else - it is nice to recall this airport. It had a character. To me it is forever associated with my holidays in Greece as a youngster.
+Yoav It was a beautiful place (the International terminal) but too small and I am so glad I got a chance to videotape it....
Remember the duty free shop in the east AND west terminal? The size of my kitchen in the States. Was expanded a bit in the 80’s but still small.
Sou do Brasil e estou prestigiado os seus vídeos.
Muito obrigado!
I lived in Greece, Voula, for 3 years.
I left there in August of '77...probably two or three weeks before you did...
I met 3 of my classmates at the airport who I thought had come to see me off. Actually they came to meet a friend who was landing and were lost in the wrong terminal.
Hi Dave, I left the 1st week of September of 1977... Thank you for your comments!
thanks for this video a real vision of apocalypse just like after a war... very sad
phitou1 Hello, thank you for your comments and for watching my videos!! If you have not done so by now, please subscribe to my channel for more exciting videos from around the world, here is the link:
www.youtube.com//user/vstefanu?sub_confirmation=1
Wow the memories
I know what you mean..
Very interesting video, i had travel a lot of times from there, sad to see it like this..
Hello and thank you for viewing my videos!!
I used to live there (1987-1989) when the old air force base was still a thing. Not too far off at Etharchou Makariou. Crazy to see it all in disrepair.
It is probably far worse now since the video was created.. I remember the area from the mid-70s, full of life..
@@VicStefanu Hey Vic, old check in here but it looks like there is a very good chance I will get to finally return to Athens after almost 30 years. Wanted to reach out and see if you still lived in the area.
@@Lurvakt Hi, I now live in London... Will be going back to Greece and to the Greek islands next year...
Hello Vic, do you know what the latest status is of the airport? I heard about demolishing :(
I passed it two years ago and they had started the demolition..
@@VicStefanu cheers for the video very appreciated I sat on those blue seats ,thesaloniki 2001 was the yr we come from Glasgow this video blew my mind ,we had a delay on it lay out on the grass .heraklion corfu syros etc to many to remember but those plastic seats I never thought I'd see that in my life looking bck ruined .peace n thnks
@@Crosshatch1212 lol.. you made me laugh because I sat on these exact blue seats when I came flew to Greece in 1995 from Paris..
Very interesting video. Your English is very good.
Thank you!! 👍👍👍
Hello, I would like to visit the old airport in Athens so badly. Can you go there and have a look or is it forbidden? Are there any guided tours that I could book? I find such abandoned place ultra fascinating and I want to see them in person. Please contact me. Thanks!
Hi.. I was in Athens last year and the old airport buildings have been demolished.. There is a new development being built, the whole area is guarded and fences everywhere...
@@VicStefanu That's so sad to hear. :(. Thanks you for your reply, nevertheless....
@@jannis4608😊😊😊
Amazing video... Thank you very much brother
Hello, thank you for viewing my videos!!
I used to go to this airport when I was kid but too young I don't remember it
Hello, thank you for your comments!!
My dad came here in 85 and 90 on an Olympic airways 747 all the way from Melbourne, I could imagine what there faces would be like if they saw it like this
Thank you for your comments, show this video to your dad!!
Vic... another totally awesome thing ...about your documentation of these places is that...we must mourn.. people...and places that were dear to us.... I don't like it..but it's necessary...We are then able to move on ...and then we may fondly reminese ..on occasion..Thank you dear!!😢
Thank you for your wonderful comments.. you are absolutely right, once in a while we must go back to our past...
Excellent video Vic, I was there today. Unfortunately I never flew in or out of Hellinikon but I always find these sites amazing. Earlier this year I visited and produced two blogs on Kai Tak in Hong Kong and Old Baiyun airports in Guangzhou. Kai Tak's terminal has been completely demolished and the latter has become a shopping mall! I am now gathering info for a Hellinikon blog hence my watching your video. Thanks for posting.
Thank you for your comments and for viewing my videos!! I was in Greece this last summer and went to this airport once again but this time I was not allowed to go close to the building because they were housing many refugees...
No refugees now, terminal was locked but not sure why as it's already been gutted. The catering building was open but very creepy. There were some groundsmen clearing the tumbleweed from the apron - again not sure why, maybe in preparation for potential developers?
I think the government, has reached a deal with the old owners to see the whole property..
Efcharisto. Can you still access this building today?
No, there are guards posted all around the buildings..
@@VicStefanu It was an amazing experience in 2019 btw haha! I went everywhere!
@@djakkdjakkd I think they are now demolishing the buildings..
This airport is very creepy in some way. A lot of people who visited it while it was abandoned say that. Somebody else on here said that guards patrol the grounds. An Urbex person was asked to leave. So that makes it sound a bit creepy.
Hi Peter.. the day I was videotaping this site, a homeless person came towards me from inside one of the buildings and this is why that scene ends abruptly.. and yes, there were guards there but they were useless.. this whole site is not being demolished..
Nice seems like a very interesting video of the old abandoned airport in Athens, Greece so you say came to America in 1977 to immigrate right, I just have a question between years were the wave of Greeks immigrating to Canada and America what was the reason behind why they left their country? btw I'm personally from Canada but I'm not Greek which I'm still interested
+Kevin Spindel Hi Kevin, thank you for viewing my videos.. I moved to the States in 1977 to go to university.. at that time, a large wave of Greeks moved to the USA to study, but by 1979 no one came, the financial situation (the currency exchange) had gotten so much worse due to high inflation in Greece... the reason I left the country was to study and the majority of the Greeks (especially now) leave the country because of the financial conditions which are, in general, horrible ...
+Vic Stefanu - World Travels and Adventures Cool I hear that Greece between the years 1967-1974 was Fascist with a Millitary Junta Regime under Papadopoulos where a lot of Greeks fled during the regime and after the regime fell as well, btw it must of been kinda creepy to go inside an old abandoned airport
When i go to Greece, Athens i wanna explore Ellinikon International Airport
They are demolishing it now
@@imsearching4yearsnowforana966 Its sad. You cant destroy others memories
@@RitsuTainakaFin Well there is gonna be a huge investment that is gonna be others memories for the next years. Athens and Greece needs it
@@RitsuTainakaFin I think they are building an exhibition centre for the airport which is really cool imo.
@@RitsuTainakaFin They are building a gigantic "park" with luxury resorts and skyscrapers
Γιατί το παράτησαν; Ποιο καλά να το κάνανε δευτερεύον αεροδρόμιο μετά το άνοιγμα το καινούριο. Πολύ καλώ βίντεο όμως.
Ευχαριστω παρα πολυ!
Ellinikon Airport should have been an airport for domestic flights. Or they should have renovated it and have a second one for international and domestic flights because Greece is a popular tourist destination. Instead they left it to rot. This airport brings me back so many memories
Hello, thank you for your comments!! 👍👍👍
Can you go Inside ?, I mean for me ....I was used to spoting the plains outside the terminal 30-25 years ago...I was spending my holidays in Glyfada...At the Golden Sun Hotel....Five minutes with te bus...I had great time in Greece....
Both terminals had guards and were locked when I was there.. now, I believe, they have Syrian refugees camping there..
Allright....I knew this Airport since 30 years....my first time in Greece, it was in 1986...I've landed in Helliniko
I’ve always wondered how an airport that small could handle a city as big as Athens as late as 2001!
This is the main reason it was shut down in 2001, it was too small...
Crazy my friend maybe when I go visit my brother I'll stop by the airport
Vic, what happened to the American air base right next to the airport when the Americans were kicked out in the 90’s? Are the facilities even standing now?
That American air base was closed 7-8 years after I left Greece and all the buildings had been empty and abandoned for quite a few years.. I remember seeing them when I drove by when I visited Greece in the mid 1990s..
good job keep on going!!
+Pro Pro Thank you!!
Whats that flying in the sky at the video at 1.41 min
It's a seagull, this airport was very close to the sea..
Has tourism decreased in Greece? Hope to go one day, beautiful country!
It has increased dramatically this year to over 30 million tourists..
Well, those are great news!
I've never been there Would LOVE to go .
Great video! Do you know the story of that fire in the olympic terminal? It's such a shame... I love how it looked!
No, I never found out... Thank you for your comments and for watching my videos, I hope that you have already subscribed to my channel for more exciting videos from around the world
Oh well... thanks anyways, ill subscribe right now btw :)
Greetings. When did they create the terminal on the eastern side of the old airport? In the mid 1960s I remember only the terminal being on the western (sea) side. I lived in Glyfada during the mid 1960s.
I think the eastern terminal was built around 1968 to 1970, I remember this time because my father flew there from a trip and he was amazed at the marble on the floors of the new terminal..
In 1992 i was in greece i wondering if that was the airport i came through
Yes, without a doubt, you came through this airport here (in 1992)...
I landed at that Airport twice when i went to Greece for our Summer holidays in 1979 and 1987. So sad to see it like that i had no idea it got burnt ..my aunt and uncle live at Γλυφαδα and from their place u can see the Airport from far distant. :'(
Hi Vivie, thank you for viewing my videos.
Vic Stefanu - World Travels and Adventures Thank you and Your very Welcome x
the refugees live there now if i'm not wrong, i never got to visit this airport but i really want to explore when i get the chance
Hi and thank you for viewing my videos. The refugees have now left that location (the old airport), I passed it last week and it was empty..
Why are you not collecting memorabilia from the airport try to save some of the history
What were the airlines of the old airport
Too many, most of them do not exist anymore like TWA..
It's really sad that Greece has been economically in trouble for so many years now. This would have been a great space to convert into a Public area, with plane and war history museums. Sad that it looks like it is now far beyond that possibility. I hope Greece recovers soon my friend. Such a wonderful country, but under such hard times
Thank you for your comments!! The political parties are still fighting and cannot decide what to do with this whole area.. how sad..
Such a shame, I liked the old airport
So did I and it was very convenient and close to the city... :((
so do I....I miss this beautifull country...I miss Glyfada, I miss the sun, the sea
Sure....it tooks 5 minutes with a taxi from the Airport to our hotel in Glyfada....and you know what, once on the beach or by the pool my mother and I we were making contest....Style, records of planes today....the record was more or less 300 flights...Top of the show at 8.00 AM, at breakfeast time a B-747 from TWA....When this flight arrives above the hotel ....everything was shaking....Not so secured, because he was so down....
Hey Vic I really like your videos I want to ask you some questions so I heard that Hellinkon Airport (Old Athens Airport) was abandoned in 2001 where they opened a brand new really large modernized international airport in another part Athens which its called Eleftherios Venizelos Airport in time for the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics? How was like to be at Hellinkon Airport I'm aware it was much smaller and as well I heard that it did not have passenger jet bridges and that passengers to go into and out of planes from the outside using the air stairs that buses would take them to the plane is this true? Which part of Greece are you originally from and why did you leave to America? Which city and country do you currently live in right now? Btw the videos my favourite videos from you channel that I saw were the abandoned Olympic stadium in Athens where it was a really cool and awesome video that was interesting to see with it being kinda creepy since its abandoned as well the video about your visit to Auschwitz Concentration Camp which was a very sad video but really good though and many more other videos I really like to see in your channel. There are many airports and places around that are abandoned around the world you should check them out. I myself love travelling a lot too which I have done it several times before but I'm only a student and secondly I don't think I would have enough money to travel so much. I am really interested in history, alternate history, politics, geography and so on anyways I recommend you subscribe to my channel cause I already subscribed yours a while ago anyways greetings from Toronto, Canada
Hi there.. yes, it is true that the old airport did not have jet bridges and buses had to be used to transport passengers from and to the aircraft.. I am from Pireas and went to the States to study at a University (which I finished in the early 1980s) and now I live in London. Thank you for your wonderful comments and for viewing my videos and, do not forget that travelling combined with the knowledge of history is one of the greatest pleasures in life..
Vic Stefanu - World Travels and Adventures Hey Vic please subscribe me back to my channel cause I already subscribed to you a while ago?
Just did.. thanks for subscribing to my channel!!
Thank you very much friend :)
Was the best airport to land at I had my first greet tost sandwich there krimas
Hi Costa, thank you for your comments...
I and my wife have an apartment i central Athens, so I go there every second month. I liked it, and wonder why they just left it.
Thank you for viewing my videos!!
We miss it
I am glad I had a chance to videotape parts of it...
Awesome, I was wondering what it has been.
Hi Marco, thank you for your comments!
Ωραίο
Ευχαριστω παρα πολυ!
My dad used to be a taxi driver in Athens and would take people to and from this airport
Hello, thank you for your comments and for watching my videos!! 👍👍👍
i flew into athens around 99 so must have been here, ive no memories though
Thank you for your comments!
very nice video!! i love this place!!
Thank you for your comments and for watching my videos, I hope that you have already subscribed to my channel for more exciting videos from around the world - beginning on December 17, 2014, please follow my channel as I go on a 14-month tour of the Indian and Pacific oceans passing through many exotic countries and places. I look forward to your feedback and comments as new videos are uploaded during this once in a lifetime adventure of mine
yassou
i love airports and Thanks for The fantastic travel through time.
Yeia sou and thank you for your wonderful comments!
i also lived in THE BIG. APPLE. for 15 years near The Yankee Stadium.
kai xero liga Ellinika plus ive recently gota a dracma something is hardly seen anymore . Opa.
Nice!! I lived in New Jersey for several years...
Bravo file
Efharisto..
Vic Stefanu - World Travels and Adventures parakalo
I know that Nicosia International Airport in Nicosia, Cyprus was completely abandoned in 1974 due to the Greek-Turkish War in Cyprus I have seen videos of the airport it was quite interesting, maybe you should visit Cyprus and do a video about the Old Nicosia Airport that is abandoned
+Kevin Spindel Next time I go to Cyprus I will.. Thank you for viewing my videos..
Is it just me or did there used to be a military tank outside the airport? Anyone got a pic?
Bigup West London it was police tank
@@jimtdm81 thank you do you have any more information so I can find a picture?
@@jimtdm81 I found it it's called AVRA
Bigup West London exactly.Avra my friend means flow of water in Greek.Look in google : old Greek police avra at ellinikon airport
i visited it last week to practice driving my dads car. it looks so so bad now, and unfortunately its due to be demolished this year for a community unfortunately
I went back two years ago to videotape the interior but the place was full of guards and wild dogs.. not safe..
@@VicStefanu well there is no point on exploring inside as not only are all the doors locked, but there are what seemed like refuges or Gypsies that where pretty scary looking
@@kon_the_bossp989 Ok, thank you! 👍👍👍
I LANDED 4 TIMES HERE AT THE USAF BASE
That base does not exist anymore..
Thank you for posting this amazing Video. Am I right this airport was featured in the movie Operation Thunderbolt 1977 ? It sure looks the same. It's such a shame such a massive facility has become neglected and abandoned..
No, I do not think that this was the airport featured on the movie.. thank you for viewing my videos!!
You are absolutely right, I watched the video and sure enough, this is the same airport...
This could’ve been used as a secondary airport for Athens since the new one opened in 2001
Very true but it is too late now..
same gates i used in the seventies at the age of 7 to go to germany where my father worked and took the rest of the family with him.Again and again i used this airport.what a waste of chance to make smthg out of it instead to leave it becoming ghost structure!
+irina filipova Neglected, empty and surrounded by wild dogs that I had to be aware of to avoid getting attacked...