The Athens Court of First Instance dismissed the application by the Civil Aviation Authority (APA) to revoke the interim order requiring it to monitor how aircraft take off and land at ‘Eleftherios Venizelos’ and to impose penalties on those who breach noise abatement procedures. The ruling, numbered 6771/2026, was announced this week by the Municipality of Spata–Artemida and the association ‘Environmental Harmony’, which had lodged the appeal together with the Municipality of Markopoulo and dozens of residents.
According to the Municipality’s announcement, under the new decision, the APA’s obligation to monitor and verify compliance with aircraft noise abatement procedures and to impose the penalties provided for remains in force.
What the first ruling had decided
The initial ruling by the Athens Single-Judge Court of First Instance, which was made public in July, gave the APA a four-month deadline, according to reports published at the time by Ta Nea. Within this timeframe, it was required to establish a mechanism to systematically monitor compliance with the NADP-A take-off procedure, to record crew violations, impose penalties and ensure that maximum reverse thrust is not used when safety does not require it. A fine of 10,000 euros was set for each instance of non-compliance.
NADP-A is a take-off procedure designed to reduce noise: it determines how the aircraft climbs and when to reduce engine power, so as to minimise the impact on areas along the flight path. Reverse thrust is used during landing to slow the aircraft down and, at maximum intensity, is one of the noisiest manoeuvres.
The court had also ruled that instantaneous noise levels exceeding 70 decibels do not, in themselves, breach the statutory limits, but may constitute a serious environmental nuisance. Decision 6771/2026 does not exempt the APA from any of these obligations.
Residents’ details
‘Environmental Harmony’ attributes the outcome of both court proceedings to the evidence it submitted, comprising data from its own noise monitoring systems (EANS), and to the testimony given in court by one of its volunteer scientific collaborators. The airport’s own figures illustrate the scale of the issue: in August, a month with a record 4.03 million passengers, the Artemida monitoring station recorded 1,495 noise readings. The monthly report for September has not yet been published.
That same week, a detail emerged from the town hall. In the 7th budget amendment, which the Municipal Council voted through on 21 October, the budget line ‘Support services for the recording and assessment of aircraft noise’ was reduced to zero from €29,946. The decision does not explain whether the service is being covered in some other way or whether it will simply not be commissioned this year.
What’s next
Interim measures are, by their very nature, a form of temporary protection, pending a ruling on the merits of the case. The next crucial point is whether the APA will have put the monitoring mechanism into operation within four months and whether it will publicise infringements and penalties.
“We are not opposed to the operation and development of the airport,” notes the Municipality, whilst calling for strict adherence to the rules. The union, for its part, has called for a rally on Sunday 25 October against the expansion and doubling of the airport’s capacity; we reported about what the organisers are calling for and what the airport’s investment programme entails.
Anyone who has a complaint about a specific flight can report it at the airport, by calling 210 3530003 or by emailing NoiseComplaints@aia.gr, stating the date, time and location.
Source: Municipality of Spata–Artemida and the ‘Environmental Harmony’ association, announcements regarding Decision 6771/2026 of the Athens Court of First Instance (republished by irafina.gr, 23 October 2026); ‘Ta Nea’, 21 July 2026; Municipal Council Decision 148/2026, Diafania, 23 October 2026.
