Greece's Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund announced, that one of the best real estate properties - the Athens former airport in the coastal area of Athens Ellinikon will be sold reported news agency Ria Novosti. Athens airport whole area is about 6.2 million square meters. It is three times bigger than the Principality of Monaco and two times bigger than the London's Hyde Park and New York's Central Park. There are 500 buildings in sold territory, including the former airport building, 2004 Olympic Games sport facilities, Greek army former barracks, sport center and a sea berth for 300 boats. Company's 100 percent stock to be sold to investor, but the cost of airport isn't announced. After sale, the investor must pay 30 percent of earnings to the Greece budget. Greece holds an extensive privatization program to increase revenue and reduce the budget deficit. Two months ago Greece Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund has identified 40 uninhabited islands and islets that could be leased for as long as 50 years to reduce debt as pressure grows on the country to revive an asset-sales plan key to receiving international aid. At the beginning of the year Archaeological treasures including the temple of Delphi, the most popular site after the Acropolis, were available as backdrops for filming and photographic shoots.

According to Director General of the South Caucasus Railways (SCR) Viktor Rebets, the project to connect Armenia's international Zvartnots airport and the Yerevan underground with a commuter train service will soon get off the drawing board, reported Armenian mass media. A trilateral memorandum about the intention to build a commuter train link was signed among the RA minister of transport and communications Manuk Vardanyan, the SCR Director General Viktor Rebets and the Armenia International Airports general manager Marcelo Wende on May 4. The new railway will link the Charbakh station of the Yerevan underground and the international airport, and to be built within a year. The length of the rail link is about 7.8 kilometers. Also an 810-meter-long tunnel is expected to be built. The Armenian Government in last November approved the program to build an international logistics center and transportation infrastructures in the territory neighboring Zvartnots International Airport. New railway is a part of the project of free economic zone which also include highway construction. The realization of the project is expected to facilitate access to the city for passengers at Zvartnots as well as provide a link between the airport's cargo terminal and the Karmir Blur railway station.

The construction of Kutaisi new airport began on November 22. Designed by UNStudio the new airport will include a transfer terminal, 55 meter high Air Traffic Control Tower, central arrivals hall, check-in area with lounge, cafe, three departure gates and an exterior garden. The new airport is sheduled to open in September 2012. According to Inhabitat, clad in a transparent skin, the exterior will actually change color when there is a fluctuation in traffic. The 55 meter high, 300 square meter Air Traffic Control Tower sits nearby and serves as a beacon for arrivals and departures. A large overhanging roof shields the interior from excessive sunlight, and an on-site underground source of natural water will be used to regulate interior temperatures. Energy use will be minimized through a water cooling system using concrete core activation, and fresh air will circulate via a hybrid low pressure ventilation system. A grey water collection system in the floor underneath the terminal building will help manage wastewater, while a comprehensive waste management and recycling system will reduce trash and serve as a model for future projects throughout the country. The roof has also been designed to accommodate a photovoltaic system in the future, which will generate power for the airport. It should be noted, that in November during her official visit to Armenia, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia Vera Kobalia said, that Georgia would use experience of Armenian engineers and builders during construction of Kutaisi airport.

As reported by constructiondigital, according to officials, work will begin on the capital's International airport US$ 6 billion Midfield Terminal Building (MTB) expansion next year. Despite the economic downturn, the UAE continues its building tear with the planned 2012 construction of a 650 thousand square meters terminal for the Abu Dhabi International Airport (ADIA). The terminal will have a capacity of up to 30 million passengers when it is completed in 2017. The five year project will cost an estimated US$ 6.08 billion, and six bids are being reviewed for the construction phase with firms from Germany, South Africa and the United States. The contract should be awarded in the first quarter of 2012. The giant X shaped building will have one of the world's longest spanning arches with a height of more than 52 meters. In addition to the conventional airport facilities, the terminal will also house a luxury hotel and spa. The complex will include 20 to 25 thousand square meters of retail and food and beverage outlets, roughly equivalent to the current size of the Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi. These are set around an 8.4 thousand square meter indoor park, which will host Mediterranean plants and features at its centre and desert landscapes at its perimeter. As reported the official website of ADIA, piling works for the terminal building began in February 2009. ADAC announced the release of the MTB tender in January 2011. Abu Dhabi International Airport (ADIA), first open in 1982, is one of the two international airports for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, is located about 30 kilometer from Abu Dhabi city center, and is the home of Etihad Airways, the Abu Dhabi carrier.

Beijing has started construction on a new mega-airport that will be roughly the size of Bermuda and have nine runways, reported The Telegraph. The new airport will be called Beijing Daxing International and when it opens in 2015, the Chinese capital will become the world's busiest aviation hub, handling around 370 thousand passengers a day. It is only three years since the opening of Terminal 3 at Beijing Capital Airport, a sweeping structure designed by Sir Norman Foster that is far bigger than all of Heathrow's five terminals combined. But an enormous boom in China's aviation industry has already left the capital's existing facilities stretched to breaking point. "It is impossible to add even one more flight to the tight daily schedule of the Capital airport," said Li Jiaxing, the minister in charge of China's Civil Aviation Administration. The existing airport in Beijing has an annual capacity of 75 million passengers. Last year it handled 73 million. In two years, it will be totally packed. And it cannot be expanded infinitely. Instead, Beijing's planners have found a 54 thousand square meters site to the south of the city, in the suburb of Daxing. Currently the site is around an hour's drive from the city centre, but planners are pencilling in an extension to Beijing's metro, and perhaps even a high-speed train line. The new facility will not only serve Beijing, but also Tianjin and parts of Hebei as the Chinese capital morphs into a mega-city, its suburbs merging into those of the cities around it. The airport will be Beijing's third, after Capital and the smaller, primarily military, Nanyuan airport. Beijing Daxing is likely to have eight runways for civilian use and a ninth for military use, according to Yao Weihui, the general manager of China United Airlines. "The suggested location is a place with few residents and buildings, so a lot of runways can be built," he added.