The governor of Greece’s Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA), Giorgos Saounatsos, tendered his resignation on Wednesday over the half-day telecommunications blackout at Athens International Airport (AIA) on Sunday, January 4.
The disruption triggered widespread flight delays and cancellations in Greece, with knock-on effects at airports across Europe. Infrastructure and Transport Minister Christos Dimas accepted Saounatsos’ resignation, which he had formally requested earlier in relation to the Athens Flight Information Region (FIR) incident.
The deputy governor, Giorgos Vagenas, will assume the duties of AIA chief on an interim basis. The ministry said procedures are already underway for the appointment of a permanent replacement.
Earlier this week, a specially appointed committee of experts submitted its findings to the minister, detailing the causes of the January 4 blackout. The committee identified significant involvement by both the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE), reviewing official reports from both bodies and testimony from senior executives.
According to the report, the outage was caused by “digital noise” resulting from desynchronization across multiple heterogeneous devices and interfaces. This led to the unintended continuous emission of a critical number of transmitters and the degradation of essential telecommunications systems. Full restoration was achieved after traffic was rerouted to the backbone network and systems were resynchronized and rebooted.
Investigators stressed that no external interference or outside factors were involved in the Athens FIR blackout.
Meanwhile, Greek air traffic controllers warn that a separate investigation into the FIR collapse has exposed serious management shortcomings, aging infrastructure, and potential safety risks, raising concerns ahead of the peak summer travel season.
Source: tovima.com
