The involvement of major Turkish construction companies in the €1.28 billion expansion of Athens International Airport has exposed divisions within the Greek government, according to people familiar with the matter.
The project, which would expand capacity at Greece's busiest airport, has become politically sensitive because of the symbolic importance of the country's main international gateway and the fragile state of Greek-Turkish relations.
Government officials say two camps have emerged within the cabinet. One argues that the procurement process should be guided solely by economic and technical criteria, emphasizing that Greece must uphold open competition in line with market principles. Others contend that awarding a significant portion of such a high-profile national infrastructure project to Turkish contractors would send an unfavorable political and geopolitical signal at a time when relations between Athens and Ankara remain delicate despite recent efforts to improve ties.
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According to the officials, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has yet to decide how to proceed and has received conflicting advice from senior ministers. His office is closely monitoring developments, aware that any decision could carry both domestic political and diplomatic consequences.
The expansion of Athens International Airport is designed to increase annual passenger capacity to 40 million through the construction of approximately 148,000 square meters (1.6 million square feet) of new facilities, including additional gates, passenger terminals, commercial space and upgraded environmental infrastructure.
