Operations at airports across Greece were temporarily suspended on Sunday due to issues affecting radio frequencies, the country’s civil aviation authority (HCAA) reported. The disruption, which caused airport arrivals and departures to halt, was attributed to problems at the main communications center for air traffic controllers. Authorities confirmed that the issues were not related to a cyberattack but were instead caused by aging systems, which hindered normal operations.
The Greek state broadcaster ERT indicated that the suspension began at 9:00 a.m. local time and resulted in flights being diverted to neighboring countries. Despite the disruption, some overflights within the Athens Flight Information Region continued to be serviced with the help of alternative frequencies. Air traffic controllers used backup communication channels to facilitate limited takeoffs and landings during the outage. Officials stated that the situation was ongoing, with no definitive timeline for full recovery.
Official Statements and Future Outlook
Panagiotis Psarros, president of the air traffic controllers' association, clarified that systems were outdated and unable to support current demands. He emphasized that the issues were technical rather than security-related. The HCAA is expected to conduct repairs and upgrades to restore full functioning of the communication infrastructure, aiming to prevent similar incidents in the future.
