The communication problem that caused chaos earlier today at Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” and across Greek airports has been restored.

According to information, coordinated actions resolved the issue, which had led to widespread flight delays. Authorities continue to investigate the cause of the problem through the National Telecommunications and Post Commission (EETT).

An official statement confirmed that the technical failure affecting the radio frequencies of Greece’s Air Traffic Services has now been fixed.

Flights are being gradually released, and operational airspace capacity has been restored. However, delays will continue due to the accumulation of flights during the disruption.

Dimas: “Flight Safety Was Not Affected”

Infrastructure and Transport Minister Christos Dimas stressed that the malfunction did not affect flight safety and that all standard safety procedures were immediately activated.

“The technical issue that occurred this morning on certain frequencies serving the Athens FIR did not affect flight safety in any way and has now been resolved,” he said, citing information from the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA).

As soon as the problem was identified, emergency protocols were implemented in cooperation with EUROCONTROL, both to ensure safe flight operations and to address the technical failure.

Extensive Technical Checks and Airborne Inspection

Engineers from the Civil Aviation Authority carried out inspections across all regional transmission and reception units. These included sites on Mount Hymettus, Pelion, Thasos, Acarnania, Monastiri, and Gerania.

An aircraft specially equipped by the HCAA also took off on an emergency mission. On board were aviation electronics engineers and a specialist from the National Telecommunications Commission, conducting airborne spectrum analysis.

Airspace Capacity Increased

Shortly after 4:00 pm, authorities increased airspace capacity from 35 to 45 aircraft per hour.

Athens International Airport announced that the Civil Aviation Authority began the gradual release of flights, depending on air traffic control availability. Passengers were advised to contact their airlines directly for updated flight information.

Civil Aviation Authority Cites “Massive Interference”

In a separate statement, the Civil Aviation Authority described the incident as unprecedented, attributing it to massive radio interference.

Officials reported continuous, unintentional signal noise across nearly all frequencies serving the Athens FIR. Engineers from the HCAA worked closely with technicians from OTE to locate and eliminate the interference.

The authority emphasized that the scale, geographic spread, and duration of the incident were exceptional.

Investigation Ongoing, No Evidence of Telecom Provider Fault

The Crisis Management Team of the HCAA convened early Sunday morning under Administrator Konstantinos Saounatsos, remaining in constant coordination with external agencies and EUROCONTROL.

Multiple scenarios were examined during the investigation. Some were already ruled out, including internal equipment failure and interference from standard telecommunications infrastructure operating within legal limits.

Claims involving telecom providers’ infrastructure have not been confirmed, according to officials.

The President of the Civil Aviation Authority, Christos Tsitouras, stated that the investigation is ongoing and warned against premature conclusions. He noted that a preliminary technical assessment is expected as soon as possible, and that the issue is being closely monitored at the political level.