Just as 2026 had begun, a serious aviation crisis unfolded for travelers across Europe. As of Sunday, January 4, at 08:59 local time (09:59 TRT), hundreds of flights to, from, and within Greece were either canceled or delayed. These disruptions left thousands of passengers stranded at airports across the continent.
The Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport experienced the greatest impact, while the complete closure of Thessaloniki Airport highlighted the extensive scale of the crisis. According to the BBC, over 90 flights in Athens alone were affected, both inbound and outbound.
What happened?
Reports indicate that long queues of passengers formed at Athens Airport due to the suspension of numerous domestic and international flights. The Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA) described the disruption as "unprecedented." The Athens Airport press office announced on Sunday morning that no aircraft had landed or taken off for at least two hours. Throughout this period, no aircraft could transit through Greek airspace either.
Why were flights canceled?
At the heart of the crisis was the failure of radio frequencies that provide air traffic communication. The technical issue, which began at 08:59 local time, effectively brought Greek airspace to a standstill. This coincided with one of the busiest travel periods, the return from winter holidays, during which Athens typically handles over 600 flights daily.
The country's civil aviation authority announced that an as-yet-undetermined interference (noise) was detected in the radio channels. The authority's statement emphasized that this interference was in the form of continuous and involuntary electromagnetic radiation.
Panagiotis Psarros, President of the Greek Air Traffic Controllers Association, told state television ERT that all frequencies suddenly disappeared, and towers were unable to communicate with aircraft in the air. In his assessment to Reuters, Psarros stated that the incident revealed how old the country's air traffic systems are, noting that they operate with one of the oldest infrastructures in Europe.
ERT indicated that, according to the initial findings of Greek security forces, the problem might have originated from an antenna malfunction in the Gerania Mountains near Athens. In contrast, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Christos Dimas argued that the incident did not jeopardize flight safety.
Flights diverted to Turkey
Due to the malfunction, many aircraft unable to land in Greece were forced to change their routes. According to ERT, the majority of these flights were diverted to Turkey, while some were completely canceled. Flightradar24 data showed that Greek airspace was almost entirely empty in the early hours of Sunday. Official sources also confirmed that Italy, Turkey, and Cyprus provided support to Greece for crisis management.
Systems returning to normal
Authorities announced that limited operations resumed on Sunday afternoon as pilots switched to backup frequencies. Later in the day, approximately 45 aircraft per hour were reportedly able to depart from Greek airports. Panagiotis Psarros described the events as "very serious," emphasizing that the crisis was rooted in equipment that had reached the end of its operational life.
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