Aviation News – Greece’s Civil Aviation Authority (YPA) temporarily closed Greek airspace on Sunday after massive radio interference disrupted almost all frequencies in the Athens Flight Information Region (FIR), severely affecting flights nationwide. The incident forced limits on take-offs and landings, highlighting the critical vulnerability of air traffic communications.
The disruption occurred on January 4, 2026, at 08:59 local time, when YPA detected widespread interference across operational frequencies serving the Athens FIR. At the same time, HELLAS COM lines and operational communication telephone systems were also reported down, leading to a partial paralysis of air traffic at major Greek airports before gradual recovery began later in the day.
Air traffic control depends on uninterrupted VHF radio frequencies and secure communication lines to manage aircraft movements safely and efficiently. The simultaneous loss of multiple communication channels significantly reduced controllers’ ability to coordinate flights, prompting authorities to restrict operations as a precautionary safety measure.
In its official statement, the Civil Aviation Authority said the incident was of “unprecedented dimensions,” adding that the scale of the interference required immediate action to protect flight safety while investigations continue into the root cause.
Looking ahead, the incident is expected to accelerate discussions on resilience, redundancy, and cybersecurity in aviation communication systems. Authorities may also review contingency protocols to ensure faster recovery should similar disruptions occur in the future.
The temporary closure underscored how essential robust communication infrastructure is to modern aviation. While traffic gradually resumed, the unresolved cause of the interference raises broader questions about protecting national airspace systems against technical failures or external disruptions.