Bus Transfers To and From Athens Airport

Athens International Airport lies between the towns of Markopoulo, Koropi, Spata and Loutsa, and about 20 km, or 12 miles east of central Athens. The airport has received several awards for its excellent services and is regarded as efficient and well equipped with a variety of facilities. The airport’s passengers have access to several options when it comes to ground transportation as well, as there are buses, taxis and trains available. The Athens International Airport buses are the cheapest form of ground transport, and are often regarded as a convenient way to travel to several destinations.

Athens Airport, or ATH, is also known as the Eleftherios Venizelos Airport, in honour of a Prime Minister of Greece, and consists of several passenger buildings, that handle a total of around 24 million passengers per annum. The airport’s main terminal is large, with many facilities, but there are also satellite buildings that are used for certain types of flights, such as Schengen flights. Underground and above-ground walkways link the main terminal to the satellite terminal. On the airport grounds there are also car parking areas and buildings to facilitate cargo movements and administration works.

Buses are an important form of transportation for arriving and departing passengers, and are very cost effective. Even though train services are available, many passengers prefer to simply take the bus. Buses are also used on the airport grounds for transport between many of the facilities.

On-site Athens International Airport buses

The airport of Athens does not have any people mover system, as the main terminal and satellite terminals are linked by walkways, and buses are therefore not used for transport between the buildings either. However, there is an important bus that provides passengers with a link between the further car park of the airport and the check-in facilities. This bus is referred to as the ‘P3 Parking Express’ and it is available from fourteen designated stops at the P3 parking area. The bus is available twenty-four hours a day, and will just take a few minutes to reach the terminal. It is also free of charge. From the terminal, passengers will find it at the dedicated bus stop in front of Exit 3 of the Arrivals level.

On the land-side of the airport, additional buses travel between the administration buildings, cargo terminals and other airport facilities, every ten to twenty minutes and every day of the week, and on the air-side of the airport, a few buses also travel between the staff parking area, air traffic control tower, main terminal, cargo areas, fire rescue station, ramp service station and satellite terminals.

Athens International Airport public buses

Passengers arriving at the airport can easily travel to Athens on one of the public bus services available. The buses are found outside of the arrivals level between exits 4 and 5. There are four services currently in operation, referred to as the buses X93, X95, X96 and X97. The buses are also available in the alternative direction, for passengers who would like to reach a departure flight. The buses drop off passengers at the departures level.

The X93 bus travels between the airport and the Kifissos Bus Terminal every fifteen to twenty minutes, and is a good connection for many intercity bus services. This bus route will take approximately an hour and five minutes to complete. The X95 bus travels between the airport and Syntagma Square and Othonos Street, every twenty to twenty-five minutes, and the X96 bus travels to the Port of Piraeus, Akti Vasileiadi Street and Gate E1, about every half an hour. The X97 bus is only available every fifty to sixty minutes, and travels from the airport to Dafni Station on the Athens Metro Line 2. All buses take just over an hour to reach their destinations.

The bus routes mentioned are operated by OASA, the company in charge of the Athens public transport network. To ride a bus you should have a ticket or travelcard that will need to be validated upon boarding the bus. A ticket is valid for a single trip only, but integrated tickets may be used for up to ninety minutes from the time it is first validated. The integrated tickets can also be used on all OASA public transport services. A regular express bus ticket when travelling to or from the airport will cost 5 Euro, or passengers can purchase a monthly subscription for 45 Euro, which also allows for travel on the airport express buses. In the city a standard ticket will cost 1.20 Euro and an integrated ticket will cost 1.40 Euro.

KTEL Express is a company that runs a few regional bus services to and from the airport. These buses are available from the arrival levels outside of exits 2 and 3 and they provide transport to Rafina, Markopoulo, Lavrio, Kalyvia and Keratea.

Hotel shuttle services may also be arranged by passengers who are staying at certain hotels in or nearby Athens. This is usually a free service for customers of the hotel, and the transport should be arranged in advance of your arrival at the airport.

Further details regarding the Athens International Airport buses is available from the following websites: www.oasa.gr and www.ktelattikis.gr. The airport can also be contacted at +30 210 3530000.