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Air traffic disrupted in Greece by control system failure
By Xinhua Published: Jan 05, 2026 10:29 AM
Passengers gather at the departure hall of Athens International Airport in Athens, Greece, Jan. 4, 2026. All flights in and out of Greece were temporarily suspended on Sunday morning after a nationwide communications failure disrupted air traffic control systems, Greek state broadcaster ERT reported. Flights later began to resume gradually, starting from Athens International Airport, with both departures and arrivals restarting, according to a statement from the airport operator. (Photo: Xinhua)

Passengers gather at the departure hall of Athens International Airport in Athens, Greece, Jan. 4, 2026. All flights in and out of Greece were temporarily suspended on Sunday morning after a nationwide communications failure disrupted air traffic control systems, Greek state broadcaster ERT reported. Flights later began to resume gradually, starting from Athens International Airport, with both departures and arrivals restarting, according to a statement from the airport operator. (Photo: Xinhua)


Passengers gather at the departure hall of Athens International Airport in Athens, Greece, Jan. 4, 2026. All flights in and out of Greece were temporarily suspended on Sunday morning after a nationwide communications failure disrupted air traffic control systems, Greek state broadcaster ERT reported. Flights later began to resume gradually, starting from Athens International Airport, with both departures and arrivals restarting, according to a statement from the airport operator. (Photo: Xinhua)

Passengers gather at the departure hall of Athens International Airport in Athens, Greece, Jan. 4, 2026. All flights in and out of Greece were temporarily suspended on Sunday morning after a nationwide communications failure disrupted air traffic control systems, Greek state broadcaster ERT reported. Flights later began to resume gradually, starting from Athens International Airport, with both departures and arrivals restarting, according to a statement from the airport operator. (Photo: Xinhua)



Passengers gather at the departure hall of Athens International Airport in Athens, Greece, Jan. 4, 2026. All flights in and out of Greece were temporarily suspended on Sunday morning after a nationwide communications failure disrupted air traffic control systems, Greek state broadcaster ERT reported. Flights later began to resume gradually, starting from Athens International Airport, with both departures and arrivals restarting, according to a statement from the airport operator. (Photo: Xinhua)

Passengers gather at the departure hall of Athens International Airport in Athens, Greece, Jan. 4, 2026. All flights in and out of Greece were temporarily suspended on Sunday morning after a nationwide communications failure disrupted air traffic control systems, Greek state broadcaster ERT reported. Flights later began to resume gradually, starting from Athens International Airport, with both departures and arrivals restarting, according to a statement from the airport operator. (Photo: Xinhua)



All flights in and out of Greece were temporarily suspended on Sunday morning after a nationwide communications failure disrupted air traffic control systems, Greek state broadcaster ERT reported.

Flights later began to resume gradually, starting from Athens International Airport, with both departures and arrivals restarting, according to a statement from the airport operator.

The disruption occurred at around 9:35 a.m. local time (0735 GMT), affecting Greek airspace and halting arrivals and departures at Athens International Airport as well as regional airports. Thousands of passengers were stranded for hours at airports across the country, while several inbound flights were diverted.

According to preliminary information, the failure was caused by a circuit malfunction in the central radio frequency systems of air traffic control centers operated by Greece's Civil Aviation Authority.

As a precautionary measure to ensure flight safety, the Greek Ministry of Transport said that only overflights - aircraft transiting Greek airspace without landing - were initially allowed to continue.

In total, about 90 flights were affected at Athens International Airport, around 75 flights at Thessaloniki Airport in northern Greece, and dozens more at other airports nationwide.

Greek authorities have launched an investigation into the incident, while efforts continued to fully restore normal air traffic operations, local media reported.