Implementing Air Traffic Control in Greece       Click for Greek
Athinai FIR

*Actual locations of Primary and Secondary En route and TMA Radar Antennas within Athinai FIR

Dear friends,

Welcome to the website of the Greek Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (GATCA). We hope that through our web pages you will have a pleasant journey in the world of Civil Aviation and particularly of the Air Traffic Control.

 In  Greece the Air Traffic Control Service is provided to:

1.   All flights conducted in accordance with the Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) within controlled airspace (airways, terminal control areas, etc).

2.   All VFR flights conducted within a control zone in meteorological conditions below visual meteorological conditions (Special VFR-Visual Flight Rules Flights).

3.    All aerodrome traffic within the country’s controlled aerodromes.

The   preconditions   which  determine  that  an  aerodrome  shall include   Air  Traffic Control  Service  depend  on  factors  such as:  the traffic  flow,  the  difficulty and  the particularities  of  the  traffic, the surrounding terrain, etc. In Greece Air Traffic Control Service is provided at the following Civil Aerodromes:

 International Athens Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos”.
 Alexandroupolis Airport “Dimokritos”.
 Zakynthos Airport “D. Solomos”.
 Iraklio Airport “N. Kazantzakis”.
 Thassaloniki Airport “Macedonia”
 Corfu (Kerkyra) Airport “I.Kapodistrias”.
 Kafallonia Airport
 Kos Airport “Ippokratis”
 Limnos Airport
 Mitilini Airport “Odysseas Elitis”
 Rhodos Airport “Diagoras”
 Samos Airport
 Kavala Airport “M. Alexandros”
 Mykonos Airport
 Santorini Airport
 Chios Airport
 Ioannina Airport

The  Air  Traffic  Control  Service  is  provided  by  three  basic  units, which cooperate incessantly, closely and harmoniously.

Aerodrome Control,  which  is  provided by the Aerodrome Control  Tower, in a relatively small area around it

 

Approach Control, which is  normally  provided by the Approach Control Service of a Terminal Control Area (TMA) and controls a broader area that includes one or more aerodromes.

 

Area Control, which in Greece, i.e in a great  part (Airways, Terminal Areas)  of the  Hellenic  FIR  (Flight Information Region),  is  provided  by t he  Athinai and Macedonia  ACCs.  Both  centers  are  established  in  the  area  of  the  former Hellinikon Airport.

The   function  of    these   three  units is  supported  by the Aeronautical   Information Service (AIS), which has the  purpose  to  file and publish  every information necessary for the  execution  of a  safe  flight,  from  the departure to the destination aerodrome. This service is provided by Air Traffic Controllers too.

The   AIS   includes   the   NOTAM   Office, in   the  former  Hellinikon  Airport, which is responsible   for  the  emission  and   distribution  of Notams  (Notices  To Airmen),  i.e information  concerning   the  establishment,  condition  or  change in  any aeronautical facility,  service,  procedure  or  hazard,  the  timely knowledge  of which is essential to personnel concerned with flight operations. 

In  every  aerodrome  is  also  established  the Aerodrome Reporting Office (ARO), that aims  at  providing  the  crews  with  all the current information before the execution of each  flight.  This service  receives  from  the airport companies’ authorized personnel, or  the  pilots  themselves,  the  flight plans and the reports that concern the Air Traffic Services.                                          

 George Dilis, ATCo

Special thanks for the English version to: 

Elena Gaitani. ATCo

Vagelis Prassas, ATCo

Dimitra Fotsis, ATCo

Click here for the Greek section