Air travel across Europe has been disrupted by a technical failure affecting Italy’s air navigation systems, impacting flights to and from the country as well as aircraft passing through Italian airspace en route to other destinations.

The problems began early Friday morning, prompting Italian authorities and Eurocontrol to reduce the capacity of Italian airspace, resulting in knock-on delays across the European aviation network.

Delays are also expected at Greek airports, affecting both arrivals and departures. Airlines are advising passengers to check for changes to their scheduled flight times before travelling to the airport.

It remains unclear when the technical problems will be fully resolved.

According to Italy’s air navigation service provider, ENAV, the malfunction was detected overnight in the data transmission network supporting the country’s air traffic control systems.

Initially, flight operations continued using backup systems. However, as air traffic increased during the morning, authorities were forced to introduce restrictions.

From 6:00 a.m., air traffic controllers began regulating flight flows, temporarily limiting the number of aircraft permitted to operate within Italian airspace.

ENAV said the measures were introduced to ensure flight safety, stressing that there was no indication of a cyberattack or sabotage.

Cancellations and Delays at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport

Several flights have already been cancelled or delayed at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport, one of Italy’s busiest aviation hubs.

According to the latest available information, four flights bound for Milan Linate, Riyadh, Tirana and Trieste have been cancelled, while approximately 20 other services are experiencing delays ranging from 15 to 60 minutes.

Passengers have been urged to contact their airlines to confirm the status of their flights.

Delays Exceed Two Hours at Milan’s Malpensa and Linate Airports

The disruption has also significantly affected airports in Lombardy, with both departures and arrivals experiencing delays.

At Milan Malpensa Airport, departing flights are running between 30 minutes and more than two hours behind schedule, while arrivals are experiencing less severe disruption.

At Milan Linate Airport, arriving aircraft face delays of up to an hour, while some departures are delayed by more than 60 minutes.

Problems have also been reported at Bergamo’s Orio al Serio Airport.

A Ryanair flight to Trapani, originally scheduled to depart at 6:50 a.m., took off 90 minutes late, while another Ryanair service to Berlin was delayed by one hour and 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, a Volotea flight from Olbia, originally due to arrive at 7:45 a.m., was rescheduled to land at 11:18 a.m.

Airport operators have warned that further services could be affected throughout the day as the technical problems continue.

Disruption Extends to Trieste Airport

The effects of the air traffic control malfunction have also reached Trieste Airport, in the northeastern Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

A flight from Rome Fiumicino, which was scheduled to arrive in the morning before operating a subsequent departure, was cancelled.

Another service from Trieste to Milan Linate was postponed by several hours.

With no confirmed timetable for restoring normal operations, airlines and airport authorities continue to advise travellers to monitor flight updates closely as disruption spreads across Italy and the wider European aviation network.