The relevant transport and infrastructure minister on Thursday announced that a group that includes the two main airport operators in the country, the two biggest domestic airlines and a major construction and concessions group will cover a 4.7-million-euro contract for the immediate installation of new civil aviation system in the country.
The private sector donation means that bureaucratic “red tape” accompanying such major state-allocated contracts will more-or-less be bypassed, and in this case, quickly modernize a portion of the country’s civil aviation sector.
A half-day technical malfunction paralyzed the Athens Flight Information Region (FIR) on Sunday, Jan. 4, causing widespread air traffic disruptions across Greece and much of Europe. The incident, described as a radio/ telecommunications “blackout”, grounded numerous flights and caused significant delays for tens of thousands of passengers in the first weekend of the new year.
According to Minister Christos Dimas, the outlay will be covered by the bourse-listed Athens International Airport S.A., the biggest and busiest such facility in Greece; Fraport Greece, which manages 14 airports around the country; carriers Aegean Airlines and Sky Express and the GEK TERNA group.
The grant involves the procurement and installation of a new voice communication and recording system (VCRS) system.
Dimas said the donation option was made possible because recent legislation (October 2025) transformed the Civil Aviation Authority into a public entity, followed by a new institutional framework that was ratified just last month.
