Flights disrupted at Athens Int'l Airport due to technical fault

Flight operations at Athens International Airport were temporarily disrupted Thursday due to a technical fault affecting a key air-surveillance and data transmission system, reported Xinhua.

According to the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the problem originated from a data transfer system on a nearby hill, which caused a short-term reduction in the airport's aircraft handling capacity. Both arrivals and departures experienced delays as air traffic controllers operated with reduced radar coverage.

Technicians intervened promptly, and the malfunction was fully resolved, with air traffic control services returning to normal operation, the CAA said.

The incident took place just over a month after Greece briefly closed its national airspace on Jan. 4 due to a collapse of radio frequencies, which stranded thousands of travelers and disrupted flights nationwide.