A technical failure in Italy’s air traffic control network disrupted flights across Europe on Friday, affecting services to and from Italy as well as aircraft crossing Italian airspace en route to other countries.
The disruption began overnight, with delays reported at major airports in Rome, Milan, Turin and elsewhere. Italian authorities and Eurocontrol, the European organization responsible for coordinating air traffic management, restricted the capacity of Italian airspace, triggering knock-on delays across the continent.
The problems have also affected Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos,” where flights to and from Italy have been delayed and at least three flights arriving from Italian airports have been canceled, according to Greece’s public broadcaster ERT.
The restrictions have reduced takeoffs and landings by 50% during the morning hours, while average delays at major Italian airports have reached approximately two hours. The situation remains fluid, and the timing of a full recovery is uncertain.
Technical failure forces restrictions on Italian airspace
Italy’s air navigation service provider, ENAV, said overnight malfunctions had been detected in the data transmission network supporting air traffic control systems.
The failure reportedly affected Italy’s main radar data transmission network. A backup satellite system was being used to relay the necessary information to air traffic control centers.
Air traffic operations initially continued using backup systems. However, as traffic increased during the morning, authorities introduced restrictions to maintain flight safety.
From 6 a.m. local time, air traffic services began regulating traffic flows and temporarily limiting the number of aircraft that could be handled in Italian airspace.
The disruption also led to a reported 50% reduction in hourly flight capacity at Athens International Airport, affecting both arrivals and departures. Delays to flights leaving Italian airports have pushed back their arrival times in Athens as well.
Italian authorities have stressed that there is no evidence of a cyberattack or other malicious activity.
Cancellations and delays at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport
Rome’s Fiumicino–Leonardo da Vinci Airport, one of Italy’s largest airports, reported cancellations and delays affecting several flights.
Four services to Milan Linate, Riyadh, Tirana and Trieste were canceled, according to information available at the time of the report. Approximately 20 other flights were delayed by between 15 and 60 minutes.
Passengers were advised to contact their airlines to confirm the status of their flights.
Delays of more than two hours at Milan airports
Airports in the northern Italian region of Lombardy were also affected, with disruptions to both arrivals and departures.
At Milan Malpensa Airport, departure delays ranged from 30 minutes to more than two hours, while arrivals experienced smaller disruptions.
At Milan Linate Airport, arriving flights were delayed by as much as one hour, while some departures faced delays exceeding that period.
Problems were also reported at Orio al Serio Airport in Bergamo.
A Ryanair flight scheduled to depart for Trapani at 6:50 a.m. left approximately 90 minutes late. Another Ryanair service to Berlin was delayed by one hour and 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, a Volotea flight from Olbia, originally expected to arrive at 7:45 a.m., had its arrival rescheduled for 11:18 a.m.
Airport authorities warned that the technical problems could affect additional services throughout the day.
Trieste flights also affected
Disruptions extended to Trieste Airport in the northeastern region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
A morning flight from Rome’s Fiumicino Airport, which was scheduled to arrive before departing again, was canceled. A service from Trieste to Milan Linate was postponed by several hours.
Passengers urged to check flight status
With restrictions affecting aircraft movements across Italian airspace, the disruption has implications beyond flights directly serving Italy. Services passing through the country’s airspace may also experience delays, including flights connecting other European destinations.
Airlines have urged passengers to check their flight status and confirm departure times before traveling to the airport.
Authorities have not yet provided a timeline for the full restoration of normal operations.
Source: tovima.com
