Airport Blackout Raises Concerns Over Airspace Safety in Greece

A major disruption to air traffic across Greece has raised serious questions about aviation safety and the reliability of telecommunications infrastructure, after a prolonged blackout affected the Athens Flight Information Region (FIR), causing widespread delays and disruption at airports nationwide.

Shortly after 9:00 a.m., communication between air traffic controllers and pilots via radio frequencies was lost, forcing authorities to impose a “zero rate” on flights for safety reasons. This measure, which drastically limits air traffic, remained in place for more than five hours—an unprecedented duration by Greek standards, according to aviation experts. Thousands of passengers were affected as flights were delayed or cancelled.

Retired Air Force Lieutenant General Konstantinos Iatridis described the incident as a phenomenon that covered the entire FIR for an extended period. Speaking on Greek television, he said that early assessments pointed to possible external interference, noting that a strong “buzzing” sound was recorded across frequencies rather than simple static. The intensity of the disturbance led to the deployment of a special aircraft tasked with identifying the source of the interference.