Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority Radio Outage Halts Greek Airspace

A sudden failure of radio-frequency systems at Greece's main area control centres halted normal air-traffic operations early on January 4, cutting off the principal communications hubs used by aircraft entering Greek airspace and forcing controllers to manage planes already airborne under emergency procedures.

“Athens, January 4 -A significant technical malfunction in Greece's air traffic control system triggered widespread disruptions across the nation's aviation network, halting flights nationwide due to a sudden collapse in radio communication frequencies”

Aero News Journal

Daily Express reported that air traffic at Greek airports was suspended from about 09:00 local time (07:00 BST) after radio-frequency systems at the Athens and Macedonia Area Control Centres failed, cutting off the main communications centre used by aircraft entering Greek airspace.

Aero News Journal

Aero News Journal described the incident as a major technical failure in Greece's air traffic control radio systems, with central radio links at the Athens and Macedonia Area Control Centres going down.

The BBC said the outage left passengers stranded and flights delayed or turned back, and air-traffic controllers reported that all frequencies were suddenly lost.

Operational procedures were immediately adjusted: controllers suspended departures, imposed restrictions in the Athinai FIR/UIR, and guided airborne aircraft to manual or alternative landings while many international flights were diverted.

Daily Express reported the outage forced pilots to land manually and prompted a 'zero rate' restriction across the Athinai FIR/UIR.

BBC

The outlet also noted that Greece’s air traffic controllers association said all departures were suspended.

Aero News Journal recorded that controllers lost essential voice contact with aircraft, forcing authorities to suspend flights, guide airborne planes to safe landings via alternative procedures, and divert many international arrivals to neighboring countries.

The BBC reported that all frequencies were 'suddenly lost'.

Sources differ on the suspected technical cause, but agree investigations are under way.

“Greece has temporarily closed its entire airspace due to communication issues”

Daily Express

The BBC reports an initial security-service probe suggests the fault may be a failed antenna in the Gerania Mountains near Athens.

Aero News Journal says officials and technical teams were working to diagnose the fault and initially suspected a circuit malfunction.

Daily Express notes technicians are working on a full restoration but does not specify a confirmed cause, saying Athens International Airport reported the Hellenic Aviation Service Provider has begun a gradual release of some flights.

Authorities and neighbouring states mobilised to manage the disruption while teams worked on restoration.

Greece accepted help and airports began phased releases.

Aero News Journal

BBC reports that Italy, Turkey and Cyprus are assisting Greece in managing the disruption.

The Daily Express says the Hellenic Aviation Service Provider has begun a gradual release of some flights as technicians work on a full restoration.

Thessaloniki warned of delays and restrictions and advised passengers to contact their airlines.

Aero News Journal similarly records that Civil Aviation Authority officials and technical teams worked to diagnose the fault and restore service.

Passengers faced cancellations, long delays and limited alternatives as an outage disrupted operations.

“Thessaloniki Airport closed entirely after air traffic communication was knock out Thousands of passengers are stranded across Europe after a communications failure forced Greece to close its airspace, causing widespread cancellations and delays”

BBC

Aero News Journal reports the outage stranded thousands of passengers and caused widespread delays and cancellations for carriers such as Aegean Airlines.

BBC

The BBC noted travellers were reporting no information and missing departures on boards, and suggested domestic passengers could use rail services but would face much longer journeys.

The Daily Express urged contacting airlines and observed that while some flights were delayed, others showed no disruptions; for example, one Sky Express London–Athens flight was delayed, while carriers such as EasyJet and Wizz Air showed no problems.