21 Eerie Pictures Of Athens' Abandoned International Airport
Hellenikon Airport started out life as a military airbase in 1938.
During World War II, the base was used by occupying Nazi forces.
The Greek government gave the US Air Force permission to use the base from 1945 to 1993.
Hellenikon served as Athens' main international airport until 2001.
The facility was replaced by the all-new Athens International Airport in the run-up to the 2004 Olympics.
As an airport, Hellenikon boasts a pair of 10,000 foot-long runways.
The main hall was designed by famed architect Eero Saarinen, who also designed the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and Dulles International Airport in D.C.
The airport was even featured in the Chuck Norris' iconic 1986 action flick, "Delta Force."
Over its six decades of service, many airlines have called the airport home.
Its biggest tenant was Greece's former national carrier, Olympic Airways.
Remnants of the airline are strewn about Hellenikon's facilities.
In fact, the last flight to take off from the airport was an Olympic Airways Boeing 737.
Years later, a pair of Olympic Airways' retired jetliners remain in disrepair on the airport's tarmac.
This Olympic Boeing 747-200 sits engineless, basking in the Greek sunshine.
Long abandoned, the site will undergo significant changes over the next few years.
Greece's development fund announced that the airport and a nearby marina will be transformed into new resort complex.
This redevelopment is expected to generate as much as $5.5 billion of revenue for the Greek economy.
The consortium of investors include parties from China and Abu Dhabi.
The investors signed a 99-year lease in March of this year.
As part of the $1.25 billion lease, the investors pledged to invest $8 billion into the development over the next 15 years.
The investors plan to fill the 2.4-square-mile property with parks, leisure centers, hotels, concert venues and luxury residences.
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