Catastrophic Radio Collapse Grounds All Flights Across Greece: Outdated ATC Systems Blamed

Airport operations across Greece came to a standstill. This followed a radio frequencies collapse that crippled air traffic communications. The unprecedented incident occurred on Sunday, January 4, 2026. It stranded thousands of travelers during a busy holiday weekend.

Nationwide Airspace Shutdown

The disruption began at 8:59 a.m. local time. Most aviation radio frequencies were hit by heavy interference. Air traffic controllers suddenly lost all radio contact with planes. They could not communicate with aircraft in the air. As a safety measure, Greece shut down its entire airspace. Authorities only allowed aircraft to fly over Greek airspace.

The Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA) said an unknown "noise" affected the radio channels. The authority described the issue as a continuous and uncontrolled emission. The problem appeared to be a collapse of central radio systems. This affected the Athens and Macedonia control centers. These centers oversee a large area of the Athens Flight Information Region (FIR). The failure also impacted all ground radio frequencies. Some channels used by Athens Approach were also affected. This unit manages flights at Athens' main airport. The incident caused delays to dozens of flights. Over 75 flights were delayed, according to one official.

Outdated Aviation Systems Under Scrutiny

Panagiotis Psarros, head of the Greek air traffic controllers' association, spoke out. He called the scale of the incident unacceptable. Psarros said the failure exposed weaknesses in Greece's outdated aviation systems. He argued this critical infrastructure should have been replaced years ago. The association has repeatedly raised concerns about the aging communications network.

By the afternoon of January 4, limited services resumed. Pilots switched to backup radio frequencies to restore contact. By late afternoon, Greek airports were departing about 45 flights per hour. Officials maintained that flight safety was never put at risk. The HCAA and the Ministry of Transport launched an investigation into the cause. Preliminary reports suggested a circuit malfunction in the central radio systems.

European Travel Disruption Extends to Italy

The Greek communications failure was not the only recent travel disruption in Europe. In a separate incident, Italy's Bergamo Orio al Serio airport near Milan stopped flights. The airport is a central hub for Ryanair. The halt occurred on the evening of January 3. It was caused by technical problems with its landing system. Poor visibility compounded the issue.

Thousands of passengers were left stranded overnight. The technical issue was fixed around midnight. However, delays and cancellations persisted. Local media reported 26 departing flights were cancelled. Six flights were diverted to other airports. Seven flights were rescheduled for the following day. The disruption highlights the fragility of Europe's interconnected air traffic and airport infrastructure. For more commercial aviation news, visit flying.flights.