Athens airport is ‘too noisy’
People living near Athens International Airport (AIA) are right to complain about noise pollution, as authorities are not doing enough to limit the noise from the airplanes taking off and landing there, according to the Greek Ombudsman. The watchdog published a report yesterday following a series of complaints from locals following the opening of the airport in March 2001. According to the independent body’s research, the main problem stems from a fault with the design and construction of the airport’s runways. The Ombudsman also underlined that there has been an increase in people living in the area in the last six years and more measures are needed to protect residents from airplane noise. The AIA has placed 10 monitoring stations around the airport and was given the all clear with regard to noise levels in 2005 by a team of inspectors from the Environment and Public Works Ministry.
