Due to recent developments where handlers in Greece started charging for PPRs
www.aopa.gr/Info paragraph 24
includes now LGAV Athens E.Venizelos Int’l airport direct contact to Airport Duty Officer who issues the PPR.
If you get the PPR on your own and THEN inform the handler that you got it they should not charge for it (some 40~60 Euro).
Well, I emailed this address (9 Aug), I faxed the fax number (10 Aug), I emailed the address in NOTAM A2212/18 (10 Aug), no answer of any kind. For a PPR that is supposed to be 3h (regular), respectively 24h (NOTAM) in advance… my flight time would have long passed. Since I’m planning about a month in advance, I’m not in “urgent territory” yet.
Is there any secret sauce that I’m missing, or any update on the information? Or I just yield and pay the handler to do the PPR for me.
The short answer is there is no answer. Your post will be the first time feedback will be received about the process.
Maybe others tried it before and it worked and just never reported it works.
If you reported your handler of choice per instructions you can contact them and tell them you have requested the PPR and whether they got the response from ASOC (whatever the initials mean!).
ASOC have learned to communicate with handlers not private individuals, this process “breaks the habbit” but there is nothing saying it can’t be done.
Email (similar) is even given to the NOTAM.
In the worst case you/we will never learn it officially but airport authority works hand in hand with handlers and just ignores private contacts.
Other option is find the phone number of the ASOC and call the Airport Duty Officer (on shift) directly and just ask about the progress of your request.
The info. posted in www.aopa.gr/Info paragraph 24 was obtained by just a call like this.
Searching for ASOC, ADO and Airport Duty Officer in the AIP Greece AD 2 LGAV, I found out:
I called the phone number. They first tried to send me to/through the handler, but I half-apologetically said I had chosen a handler, but the AIP says to contact them by fax for the PPR. They then invoked the NOTAM (something like “NOTAM says PPR through handler”), I again half-apologetically said the NOTAM says to email, and I emailed, too.
In the end, they said that I’m too soon. For week-ends, they will answer only the day before, and for weekdays 2 to 3 days before. I wonder if asking PPR through the handler one gets an answer sooner…
Aghhh it does not surprise me.
They have a lot of GA/BA traffic and are tough (believe it or not) on parking assignments.
Few days ago I flew to Kithira LGKC and in that calm spacious apron there was a Gulfstream 5 parked.
I wondered why until I got the response that crew flew in from LGAV to park there for a week due to lack of space.
Anyway, have a back up plan in case they turn you down which I think is unlikely but you never know.
Alternative for Athens is Megara LGMG but its not a port of entry.
That’s crazy… LGAV cannot park a G5? That’s some empire builder showing his powers. Just like LGKR refusing a landing clearance because somebody didn’t apply for the 24hr PPR (by fax, back then). Or the CAA guy there, telling me he needs the PPR to “manage apron capacity” while staring at a completely empty apron big enough to park the whole Greek air force 
IMHO Athens is best done by airline; no hassle. Use GA for the nice islands and use LGIO as the port of entry
Are the Olympic A340 still there? They are a waste of space.
No, they flew off in February 2017 for Tehran, Iran.
They were in the maintenance area anyway, not connected to GA/BA facilities.
You can see it is empty as an A340 usually climbs very bad when full.
@ ELLX – I am wondering if you ended up making your trip to LGAV? What was your experience in the end?
I was planning to fly there this weekend, but the “Medicane” trashed those plans. I did however do some prep work and this was my experience :
1. Emailed the Airport Duty Officer (ADO) – no response
2. Faxed the Airport Duty Officer (ADO) – no response
3. Called the Airport Duty Officer (ADO) – sorry, we don’t issue PPR directly to you, Mr. HighFly, only to your handler. I mentioned that the AIP says to contact the ADO….still, you need to talk to your handler.
4. Called the Handler (Goldair) – the ADO most likely won’t respond to you. They are not set up for that line of communication.
I don’t understand what is so difficult about sending a PPR number to an email. Either they email it to me, or to the handler…the work involved should be exactly the same.
I then wanted to fly onwards to Santorini LGSR.
1. Emailed the handler – two different emails (Goldair) – no response
2. Faxed the handler (Goldair) – no response
3. Called the handler (Goldair) – no-one ever picked up the phone.
Bureaucracy – 1
HighFly – 0
It’s too bad. I am ready to spend several 000s of euros on hotels/food/activities in Greece. But not when it is so difficult just to reach somebody.
