On Sunday, flights throughout Greece were grounded due to a failure of radio frequencies, disrupting air traffic communication and stranding thousands of travelers.
The disruption began early in the day and escalated rapidly, with Greece’s civil aviation authority imposing restrictions on airport operations for safety. While some overflights continued, dozens of flights were significantly impacted.
Panagiotis Psarros, chair of the Association of Greek Air Traffic Controllers, reported a sudden loss of all frequencies, hindering communication with aircraft. He attributed the issue to a collapse of central radio frequency systems at Athens and Macedonia control centers, the largest in Greece, which oversees a vast airspace region.
Flight trackers indicated an almost empty Greek airspace, and ERT reported that arrivals and departures were suspended at 9 a.m. local time, leading to crowded conditions at Athens’ Eleftherios Venizelos airport.
Despite some aircraft being allowed to depart, over 75 flights were delayed, with Greek airspace closed until 4 p.m. local time, causing further travel disruptions.
With information from Reuters
