Greek flights restart after radio loss grinds airport operations to halt

"Authorities said the disruption began just before 9am local time (07:00 GMT), when most aviation radio frequencies were hit by massive interference, forcing a precautionary shutdown of Greek airspace. Greece's civil aviation authority said an indeterminate noise impacted radio channels, but the cause was not clear. The noise' observed in the frequencies was in the form of continuous, involuntary emission, it said in a statement."

"Panagiotis Psarros, chair of the Association of Greek Air Traffic Controllers, said all frequencies were suddenly lost, so there was no way to communicate with aircraft in the sky. He also blamed old systems, saying the ageing infrastructure should have been replaced many years ago. The authorities were only able to service flyovers for hours before limited services were restored by Sunday afternoon through backup frequencies."

"Thousands of travellers were seen stranded at airports for several hours on Sunday as air traffic was crippled and communications were cut off. Christos Dimas, Greece's infrastructure and transport minister, said the incident did not compromise flight safety. Around 45 flights were leaving Greek airports every hour by late afternoon, an official said. The press office at the country's civil aviation authority said 31.6 million passengers transited through Athens airport in the first 11 months of 2025."

Massive interference struck most aviation radio frequencies in Greece just before 09:00 local time, prompting a precautionary shutdown of national airspace. An indeterminate, continuous involuntary emission affected radio channels and the cause remained unclear. Arrivals and departures were suspended at multiple airports, leaving thousands of travellers stranded for several hours. Air traffic controllers reported loss of all frequencies, eliminating normal communication with aircraft and forcing reliance on backup channels. Limited services resumed by Sunday afternoon and operations progressed back to full restoration. Officials reported that flight safety was not compromised and traffic levels began recovering by late afternoon.

Read at www.aljazeera.com