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The exact cause of the radio blackout in Greek airspace on January 4, 2026, remains unknown, and authorities have ruled out a cyberattack. The systems reportedly came back online on their own.

What are the concerns regarding Greece's air traffic control infrastructure?

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Home / Disasters and Accidents / Greek Skies Go Silent: Mysterious Radio Blackout Halts Flights

Greek Skies Go Silent: Mysterious Radio Blackout Halts Flights

Q: How did the Athens airport communications failure affect flights?

The communications failure led to the suspension of flights into and across Greek airspace, stranding thousands of travelers at airports like Athens.

5 Jan

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Summary

Air traffic control lost radio contact with most aircraft in Greek airspace.
Internet systems also failed, impacting civil aviation authority communications.
The incident has highlighted concerns about outdated and underfunded infrastructure.

Greek Skies Go Silent: Mysterious Radio Blackout Halts Flights

On Sunday morning, Greek airspace experienced a severe communications outage, lasting several hours and impacting most of the country's airports. Air traffic controllers in Athens reported a sudden loss of radio contact with aircraft, accompanied by a piercing whistle, plunging skies into a 'communications black hole.' Internet systems also failed, hindering even official communications. Authorities have investigated and ruled out cyberattacks, with the cause of the widespread disruption remaining unknown as systems eventually restored themselves.

The incident led to the unprecedented suspension of flights into and across Greek airspace, stranding thousands of travelers. Aviation safety experts and air traffic controller unions have voiced serious concerns, attributing the failure to outdated and underfunded infrastructure. They cite the continued use of 1990s radio equipment and persistent staffing shortages, exacerbated by the 2009-2018 debt crisis, as critical weaknesses.