The breakthrough came in August 2026 with the opening of the Ellinikon Sports Park. According to project details, the freely accessible complex covers 287,000 square metres and features athletics facilities, football pitches, tennis courts and basketball courts, as well as 115,000 square metres of green space. At the same time, the Riviera Tower is reaching its full height, and further residential clusters are being marketed and built in stages.
The project is being built on the site of the former Elliniko Airport in Athens, which was replaced in 2001 by the current international airport. A new coastal city is being developed there, featuring apartments, offices, hotels, retail, leisure and cultural facilities. The total area covers 6.2 million square metres. The developer describes it as a ‘15-minute city’ with a high proportion of public open spaces and a strong connection to the coast.
First phaseto openbefore full completion
For the property sector, it is crucial that the neighbourhood is not only brought into use at the very end. The first major section is due to open in summer 2026. According to the Greek government, the first residents are due to move into new residential buildings from early 2027. This marks the project’s transition from a long planning phase to a phase of actual occupancy, use and value creation.
Park, housing and high-rise as the driving force
At the heart of the masterplan lies a large coastal park. Earlier project documents put its size at around two million square metres, or approximately 200 hectares. Alongside this, the Riviera Tower – a 200-metre-high residential tower – will be the most striking landmark on the site. The project website lists 173 flats spread over 50 storeys. Other developments, such as The Courtyards with 324 flats, show that the residential development is now expanding beyond individual prestige properties.
A new urban block for the Riviera
Elliniko is thus more than just a spectacular individual building. On the Athens Riviera, a completely new urban block is taking shape on the site of the former airport, featuring public access, open spaces and mixed-use developments right by the sea. The project is still far from complete. However, with the sports facilities now open and the first residents due to move in early 2027, a phase is beginning in which it remains to be seen whether this ‘project of the century’ will actually become a functioning urban neighbourhood.
