Thousands of passengers were left stranded across Europe on Sunday after a communications failure forced Greece to close its airspace, triggering widespread flight cancellations and delays.
Greek authorities suspended arrivals and departures early in the day after air traffic controllers lost radio contact with aircraft. While some outbound flights later resumed, inbound flights were still being diverted or sent back to their point of origin.
Athens International Airport was among the worst affected. Thessaloniki airport was closed entirely.
Over 90 flights disrupted as air traffic control systems fail
More than 90 flights were affected in and out of Athens alone, according to airport officials. The disruption came during a peak travel period, when the city usually handles over 600 scheduled flights per day as travellers return from winter holidays.
A member of airport staff told the BBC that 35 aircraft per hour were later allowed to depart, but inbound traffic remained suspended.
Flights from Dublin, Barcelona and Paris were ordered to return mid-air, while services from Copenhagen and Malta were cancelled. Other arrivals were placed on standby or diverted, mainly to Turkey.
Reacting, Panagiotis Psarros, chair of the Greek Air Traffic Controllers Association, raised concerns publicly. “We have not been informed about the cause,” he told state media. “Certainly, the equipment we have is virtually ancient,” he added.
Passengers left without information or flight compensation clarity
Several passengers complained of poor communication from airlines and airport authorities.
“I was supposed to fly to London via Stockholm,” one passenger told Greek broadcaster Mega TV. “I’m working in a hospital tomorrow morning. I won’t be there on time. Who will pay for the extra costs?”
Another traveller, whose flight to Rhodes was forced to turn back, told Reuters that no updates had been provided since landing.
Domestic travellers were advised to use Greece’s rail network where possible, though journeys would take much longer.
Antenna failure raises airline operational risk questions
The problem is believed to involve the radio system used by controllers to communicate with aircraft. Panagiotis Psarros, head of the Association of Greek Air Traffic Controllers, said all frequencies were “suddenly lost.”
Greek public broadcaster ERT later reported that security services were investigating a possible antenna failure in the Gerania Mountains near Athens.
Italy, Turkey and Cyprus are assisting Greece with traffic management as flights are rerouted through alternative European airspace management channels.
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