On January 4, 2026, a major disruption affected air traffic across Greece, leading to the temporary grounding of departures and arrivals at all Greek airports, significant delays, and a sharp reduction in the capacity of the Athens Flight Information Region (FIR). The Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA) later clarified that the cause was massive radio interference affecting nearly all frequencies serving the Athens FIR, originating from the air – an incident it characterized as unprecedented in scale, geographical extent, and duration.
While initial reports described the issue as a "technical failure" in radio communication systems, the HCAA's detailed announcement specified intentional-like airborne jamming, prompting the deployment of a specially equipped aircraft to locate the source. Air traffic was restricted to prioritize safety, initially limiting serviced aircraft to 35 per hour, later increased to 45. Operations gradually resumed throughout the day, though delays persisted.
The event stranded thousands of passengers during a busy post-holiday period and highlighted vulnerabilities in air traffic control communications. No specific source for the interference has been publicly identified as of January 5, 2026.
Stay updated with the latest news from Greece and around the world on greekcitytimes.com.
Contact our newsroom to share your updates, stories, photos, or videos. Follow GCT on Google News and Apple News.
