Flights across Greece are gradually resuming after a major communications outage on Sunday brought air traffic to a standstill for several hours. The disruption, caused by a collapse of radio frequencies affecting air traffic control, left thousands of passengers stranded and led to widespread flight cancellations and delays across European airports.
Unprecedented Disruption Grips Greek Airspace
The incident began around 8:59 AM local time on Sunday, January 4, 2026, when most aviation radio frequencies experienced massive interference. This forced a precautionary shutdown of Greek airspace, disrupting operations at airports nationwide, including Athens International Airport and Thessaloniki Airport, which was entirely closed. Officials described the event as unprecedented in scale, occurring during one of the busiest weekends of the holiday season.
Panagiotis Psarros, chair of the Association of Greek Air Traffic Controllers, informed state broadcaster ERT that all frequencies were suddenly lost, making communication with aircraft in the sky impossible. Greece’s civil aviation authority stated that an indeterminate “noise” impacted radio channels, manifesting as a “continuous, involuntary emission,” though the exact cause remains unclear. Initial investigations by Greek security services suggest the problem may stem from a failed antenna in the Gerania Mountains near Athens [bbc.com](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgezjlzwz1do).
Widespread Cancellations and Delays
The immediate impact was severe, with more than 90 flights affected in and out of Athens airport alone. Flights departing from Dublin, Barcelona, and Paris were ordered to return to their points of origin. Services from Copenhagen and Malta were canceled entirely. Other arrivals into Athens were placed on standby, and flights in and out of other Greek airports, such as Heraklion on Crete, also experienced significant delays or diversions [bbc.com](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgezjlzwz1do).
Aegean, a leading Greek carrier, issued a statement on Sunday acknowledging the “technical issue affecting the radio frequency systems of the Hellenic aviation service provider” which caused a “significant reduction in capacity within Greek airspace.” The airline assured passengers that they would receive direct updates on their flight status.
Passenger Frustration and Safety Concerns
Passengers caught in the chaos expressed significant frustration over the lack of information. One traveler at Athens International Airport, scheduled to fly to London via Stockholm, voiced concerns about missing work and the uncompensated additional costs of travel [bbc.com](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgezjlzwz1do). Another passenger, whose flight to Rhodes was turned back to Athens, reported receiving no information from the airline or airport staff [bbc.com](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgezjlzwz1do).
Despite the severe disruption, Christos Dimas, Greece’s infrastructure and transport minister, maintained that the incident did not compromise flight safety [aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/4/greek-flights-restart-after-radio-loss-grinds-airport-operations-to-halt). The air traffic controllers’ association, however, called the scale of the incident “unprecedented and unacceptable,” blaming outdated systems that should have been replaced years ago [aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/4/greek-flights-restart-after-radio-loss-grinds-airport-operations-to-halt).
Gradual Resumption and Future Outlook
Air traffic began to resume progressively by Sunday afternoon, with authorities able to service flyovers for several hours before limited services were restored through backup frequencies. By late afternoon, approximately 45 flights were departing Greek airports every hour. The Hellenic Aviation Service Provider has started the gradual release of flights in accordance with air-traffic control capacity, and efforts for full restoration of the technical issues are ongoing [independent.co.uk](https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/greece-airspace-flight-cancellations-athens-aegean-airlines-b2894191).
Authorities in Italy, Turkey, and Cyprus are assisting Greece in managing the situation [bbc.com](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgezjlzwz1do). Travelers are advised to check with their respective airlines for updated schedules and flight information as operations return to normal.
Source: [travelweekly.co.uk](https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/flights-to-and-from-greece-hit-by-communications-outage), [bbc.com](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgezjlzwz1do), [aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/4/greek-flights-restart-after-radio-loss-grinds-airport-operations-to-halt), [independent.co.uk](https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/greece-airspace-flight-cancellations-athens-aegean-airlines-b2894191), [france24.com](https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260104-flights-grounded-in-greece-after-radio-frequency-loss), [news.abplive.com](https://news.abplive.com/news/world/greece-airspace-shutdown-radio-frequency-disruption-flights-cancelled-1820182)
