Radio Frequency Loss Throws Greek Airports Into Chaos
A five-hour radio blackout grounded 200+ flights across Greece, exposing a single point of failure in the nation’s air-traffic system.
Radio Frequency Loss Throws Greek Airports Into Chaos
By Julian Rossi, Senior Correspondent
Athens, Greece — A sudden radio-frequency failure across key Greek airports grounded every scheduled flight for nearly five hours on Tuesday, stranding an estimated 27,000 travelers and forcing airlines to cancel or divert more than 200 services.
“We lost contact with every aircraft in our airspace”
The blackout began at 09:14 local time when the main Very-High-Frequency (VHF) network used by air-traffic controllers went offline, according to a terse statement from the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA). Controllers at Athens International Airport immediately switched to satellite phones and emergency beacons, but the backup systems could only handle a fraction of normal traffic.
“We lost contact with every aircraft in our airspace at once,” said one senior controller, who asked not to be named. “It was the first time in 30 years we’ve had total radio silence.”
Passengers stuck on runways and tarmacs
Inside the terminals, departure boards flipped to red within minutes. Families heading for the islands of Mykonos and Santorini found themselves queuing for rebooking vouchers, while hundreds more sat for hours on grounded jets waiting for clearance that never came.
- 09:14 — Primary VHF frequencies drop out.
- 09:21 — HCAA issues nationwide ground-stop.
- 09:45 — Aegean Airlines cancels 72 flights.
- 13:05 — Service restored after engineers bypass a damaged surge protector.
What caused the blackout?
Preliminary findings point to a burnt-out surge-protection unit inside the main VHF hub at Athens control center. The unit, installed during a 2018 upgrade, is supposed to shield sensitive radio equipment from lightning strikes and power surges. Investigators say a faulty capacitor allowed a spike to travel into the network, knocking out transmitters on every frequency between 118 MHz and 137 MHz.
“It’s a single point of failure that should never exist,” said aviation-safety consultant Marina Katsarou. “Europe’s skies are built on redundancy; today that redundancy vanished.”
Airlines count the cost
Aegean Airlines, the country’s largest carrier, expects the disruption to cost at least €8 million in compensation and rebooking fees. Ryanair and easyJet, which rely on quick turnarounds, also reported “material losses” but declined to give figures. Shares in Fraport Greece, which operates 14 regional airports, slipped 3.2 % on the Athens Stock Exchange.
What happens next?
Greece’s transport minister has ordered a full audit of every critical communications link, and Brussels has dispatched a team from the European Aviation Safety Agency. Until the final report is released, controllers will keep a second backup system—never before used—powered up around the clock.
For passengers like Eleni Dimitriou, whose honeymoon flight to Rhodes was cancelled, the technical details matter less than getting home. “They gave us water and a €15 voucher,” she laughed. “I just want to reach the beach before my annual leave ends.”