The radio frequency outage in Greek airspace led to nationwide flight suspensions, airport operation restrictions, and diversions. Authorities are investigating the cause while airports work to restore normal traffic and safety measures are maintained.
International
-Gaurav Sharma
Flights
across
Greece
were
brought
to
a
sudden
standstill
on
4
January
after
a
radio
frequency
problem
disrupted
communications,
leaving
Greek
airspace
largely
empty
and
forcing
nationwide
suspensions
of
take-offs
and
landings
while
aviation
authorities
investigated
the
cause
and
imposed
strict
safety
limits
on
airport
operations.
Greece’s
civil
aviation
authority
confirmed
that
the
disruption
affected
radio
frequencies
used
for
air
traffic
control,
prompting
restrictions
on
airport
activity,
though
some
overflights
crossing
the
Athens
Flight
Information
Region
continued
under
controlled
conditions,
while
officials
stressed
that
enquiries
were
under
way
to
identify
what
triggered
the
outage.
On
January
4,
a
radio
frequency
problem
disrupted
communications,
halting
flights
and
airport
operations
across
Greece,
leading
to
delays
and
diversions,
while
aviation
authorities
investigated
the
cause
and
imposed
safety
restrictions.All
arrivals
and
departures
stopped
from
9:00
a.m.
local
time,
affecting
airports
and
impacting
schedules
throughout
the
region,
with
the
Athens
Flight
Information
Region
effectively
closed.
Greek
airspace
disruption
halts
air
traffic
and
airport
operations
State
broadcaster
ERT
reported
that
all
arrivals
and
departures
at
airports
across
Greece
stopped
from
9:00
a.m.
local
time
(0700
GMT),
with
footage
from
Eleftherios
Venizelos
International
Airport
in
Athens
showing
crowded
departure
halls
and
stranded
passengers
as
flight-tracking
platforms
displayed
Greek
airspace
almost
completely
clear
of
commercial
aircraft.
A
Transport
Ministry
official
told
Reuters
that
more
than
75
flights
faced
delays,
although
a
limited
number
of
aircraft
travelling
towards
northern
and
eastern
destinations
received
permission
to
depart,
while
several
other
services
were
diverted
to
nearby
states
as
airlines
adjusted
routes
to
avoid
affected
Greek
airspace.
Greek
airspace
failure
triggers
diversions
and
delays
abroad
In
Israel,
an
Airports
Authority
spokesperson
said
Greek
airspace
would
remain
closed
until
4:00
p.m.
local
time
(1400
GMT),
warning
travellers
to
expect
delays
to
both
arrivals
and
departures
on
routes
linked
to
Greece,
and
advising
passengers
that
the
disruption
could
affect
schedules
throughout
the
region.
Greek
City
Times
posted
on
X:
“Security
Check-In
Closed
Since
9
AM!
Due
to
the
ongoing
radio
frequency
failure
in
Greek
airspace
(started
early
January
4,
2026),
NO
takeoffs
possible
nationwide.
Security
check-in
&
departures
halted
at
Athens
International
since
~9
AM,” capturing
the
scale
of
the
shutdown
in
Greek
airspace.
The
same
post
added:
“Massive
queues
building
up,
passengers
stranded.
Arrivals
landing
manually
where
possible,
but
many
diversions/delays
All
Greek
airports
affected
–
FIR
Athens
effectively
closed.
Civil
Aviation
Authority
rushing
fixes,
but
no
ETA
yet.
Airlines
issuing
alerts
–
expect
huge
delays/cancellations
today,”
underlining
the
pressure
on
airports
and
airlines
as
the
failure
hit
Greek
airspace.
Authorities
across
Greece
continued
working
with
technical
teams
to
restore
full
radio
frequency
services
and
normal
traffic
flows
in
Greek
airspace,
while
passengers
faced
long
queues,
diversions
and
extended
waiting
times
as
safety
restrictions
stayed
in
place
and
officials
assessed
when
airports
could
resume
standard
operations.
