Athens International Airport (AIA) has completed its Route 2025 initiative, achieving Net Zero emissions in 2025-25 years earlier than the global aviation sector’s 2050 target, according to news.gtp.gr
The achievement was officially announced at a high-level event in Athens attended by European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas, ACI Europe Director General Olivier Jankovec, along with government and industry representatives.
Introduced in 2019, Route 2025 set out an ambitious objective: to eliminate AIA’s carbon footprint by meeting 100% of its electricity needs through on-site renewable generation and removing fossil fuels from operations. With the program now finalized, Athens Airport joins a small group of airports worldwide to reach Net Zero without relying on offsets.
ACI Europe provided external validation, calling Route 2025 a landmark for Greece and European aviation. “The achievement of the Route 2025 objective with the delivery of Net Zero CO₂ facilities is a major milestone which places Athens International Airport amongst the leading airports globally in terms of effective climate action and carbon management,” said Olivier Jankovec, adding that it is “something not just Greece should be proud of, but also Europe.”
The program was supported by a €70 million investment, backed by EU Recovery and Resilience Facility and NextGenerationEU funding. It focused on infrastructure upgrades, including two photovoltaic parks totaling 51.5 MWp, supported by an 82 MWh battery system, enabling full energy self-consumption. Additional measures included electrifying vehicles, replacing gas boilers with heat pumps, and deploying digital energy management tools.
AIA CEO Yiannis Paraschis described Route 2025 as “a strategic risk that proved right,” emphasizing “real zero emissions, without certificates and without greenwashing.”
EU Commissioner Tzitzikostas said AIA is now “a point of reference internationally,” highlighting airports’ evolving role as energy hubs.
Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni noted that Net Zero at the country’s main gateway strengthens Greece’s sustainable tourism credentials, adding, “Airports are often the first and last impression for millions of visitors – making sustainability part of the travel experience itself.”
Source: news.gtp.gr
