Athens: Air travel across Greece was thrown into chaos on Sunday after a serious radio frequency failure forced authorities to halt flights nationwide, grounding planes and stranding thousands of passengers at airports.
The disruption began early in the morning when air traffic controllers lost key radio frequencies used to communicate with aircraft. As a safety measure, all takeoffs and landings were suspended, and Greece temporarily closed its airspace. Major airports, including Athens International Airport, were affected, causing long delays and widespread cancellations.
Officials said the loss of radio communication made it unsafe to manage air traffic. Planes already in the air were either delayed, held at safe distances, or diverted to other countries. The sudden shutdown also affected international routes that normally pass through Greek airspace, leading to delays beyond Greece.
Greek air traffic authorities later managed to restore limited operations by switching to backup communication systems. By the afternoon, some flights were allowed to depart and arrive under strict controls, though traffic remained far below normal levels. Overflights were also permitted in a limited manner, with safety checks in place.
The head of the Greek Air Traffic Controllers Association described the incident as very serious and pointed to aging equipment as a possible factor. However, officials said the exact cause of the radio failure was still under investigation. There was no indication of foul play, and technical teams were working to fully restore normal services.
Passengers were advised to check with airlines before heading to airports, as delays and cancellations were expected to continue until systems were completely stabilised.
Authorities said safety remains the top priority and that full flight operations will resume only after communication systems are confirmed to be reliable.