Time took its toll, however, and on March 30, 2001 - after years of debates and planning - Hellenikon shut its doors indefinitely to make way for a larger, more modern facility.
Under the deal, Hellenikon is to be turned into one of Europe's largest coastal resorts, filled with luxury hotels and apartments, as well as shopping malls, a park and a casino and entertainment complex. Elsewhere, a jumble of trash, broken glass and discarded record books reveals the daunting scale of decay, while faded tourism posters and torn maps add a note of gloom to the scene.
"This was the airline that connected Greece with the whole world - within 23 hours, Athens had 'contact' with five continents," Tsatsaragkos says. Following the 1969 opening of the Saarinen-designed East Terminal, which served all foreign carriers, Hellenikon's West Terminal was exclusively reserved for OA. Through its gates, a steady stream of celebrities - from Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren to Omar Sharif and Neil Armstrong - was pictured arriving in Greece.