In a major disruption, flights across Greece were grounded on Sunday after air traffic communication was crippled by a collapse of radio frequencies. The technical malfunction left thousands of passengers stranded and hundreds of flights grounded at the airports.
The actual reason behind the collapse of radio frequencies was not known immediately as the disruption began early Sunday and quickly escalated.
Greek civil authorities said that although operational restrictions were imposed at airports for security purposes, some overflights across Greek and regional airspace were in service.
The disruption reportedly started at around 9:00 AM local time (0700 GMT). The airports across the country halted both arrivals and departures. After the disruption, Athens' Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport saw large crowds of passengers stranded at the departure terminals.
Within minutes, Greek airspace, especially over the Athens Flight Information Region (FIR), was largely empty. The data from the flight-tracking portals showed no planes flying in the area while many were grounded.
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The chair of the Association of Greek Air Traffic Controllers was quoted by state broadcaster ET, saying, "For some reason, all frequencies were suddenly lost. We could not communicate with aircraft in the sky."
"We haven’t been informed about the cause of this problem… certainly, the equipment we have is virtually ancient. We have raised this many times in the past," Psarros said.
Several incoming flights were diverted to Several nearby countries. Meanwhile, a Transport Ministry official told news agency Reuters that some aircraft heading north and east were allowed to leave. More than 75 flights were delayed, the official said.
The Israeli Airports Authority confirmed that Greek airspace would remain closed until 4:00 PM local time, warning travelers of significant delays or cancellations.