An agreement was signed on Monday for a donation of 3.8 million euros (before VAT) by private companies to purchase and install a new Voice Communication & Recording System (VCRS) for the Civil Aviation Authority’s Athens and Macedonia Control Centers.
The move comes after an enforced black out at Greek airports in January due to failure of the communication system that left thousands stranded and delay incidents in August 2025.
The agreement was signed in the presence of several ministers by CAA Governor Giorgos Vagenas on one side and the representatives of the donating companies on the other: Athens International Airport (AIA) SA CEO George Kallimasias; Fraport Greece CEO Alexander Paul Zinell and CFO Vangelis Baltas, Aegean Airlines Deputy CFO Styliani Dimaraki, Sky Express SA owner and president of IOGR Group Ioannis Gryllos, and GEK Terna SA General Counsel Yiannis Kourniotis.
VCRS system
The VCRS system is a critical infrastructure for the operation of air traffic control services, as it is used for communications and recording of communications between air traffic contorolers and aircraft. The procurement is part of the greater plan of upgrading the infrastructure of managing air traffic and bringing Greece in line with the European Single European Sky framework.
Its cost of 3.8 million euros (before VAT) will be covered in its entirety through a donation by AIA, Fraport Regional Airports of Greece A and B, GEK Terna, Aegean Airlines, and Sky Express. The donation will be disbursed directly to the system’s vendor following the final delivery of the procurement. There will be no burden for the state budget.
PS If the country needs private donations to secure the crucial safety of millions passengers and airplanes, then Greece’s economic figures do not do as well as those in charge claim.
It’s shameful for a country where tourism brings in €30 billion being 13% of GDP directly, while indirectly it may be as high as 32% to have the safety of 38 million international travelers depend on “voluntary” contributions