Flights grounded across Greece after radio frequency disruption

Air traffic across Greece was brought to a standstill on Sunday after a radio frequency disruption forced authorities to suspend flight operations nationwide, according to the country’s civil aviation authority and state broadcaster ERT.

The incident led to the near-total clearance of Greek airspace, with arrivals and departures halted at airports across the country from around 9.00 am local time (0700 GMT). Officials said the cause of the disruption was under investigation and that restrictions were imposed as a precautionary safety measure.

Greece’s civil aviation authority said that while some overflights through the Athens Flight Information Region (FIR) were continuing, normal airport operations had been suspended. Flight-tracking data showed Greek airspace to be largely empty following the decision.

ERT broadcast images from Athens’ Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport showing departure terminals crowded with stranded passengers, as security check-ins and departures were stopped. Several flights were diverted to neighbouring countries as a result of the shutdown, the broadcaster reported.

The impact was felt beyond Greece. An Israeli Airports Authority spokesperson said Greek airspace was expected to remain closed until at least 4.00 pm local time, warning passengers to brace for delays to both inbound and outbound flights.

Local media and aviation watchers reported widespread disruption. Greek City Times said on social media that no take-offs were possible nationwide due to the radio frequency failure, with massive queues forming at airports and passengers left stranded. While some arrivals were reportedly landing manually where feasible, many flights faced diversions or long delays.

“All Greek airports are affected, with the Athens FIR effectively closed,” the outlet said, adding that the Civil Aviation Authority was working to resolve the issue but had not provided an estimated time for normal operations to resume.

Airlines issued alerts to passengers, warning of significant delays and cancellations as authorities scrambled to restore systems and assess the full extent of the disruption.

With agency inputs