Flight delays and cancellations to and from Italy have been reported since the morning of Friday 16 October at Eleftherios Venizelos Airport, due to a fault in Italy’s central air traffic control system. According to ERT, at least three flights from Italian airports have been cancelled, whilst the hourly flight capacity has been reduced by 50 per cent. The Italian authorities have made it clear that this is not a cyberattack or any other malicious act.
The fault lies in the main network that transmits radar data to the control centres, which are currently operating using a backup satellite system. Delays began at around 6 am Italian time at the airports in Rome, Milan and Turin, as reported by Naftemporiki. Flights merely passing through Italian airspace, bound for other countries in Western Europe, are also affected. Initial estimates suggested that services would not be restored until at least 16:00, although delays to subsequent flights operated by the same aircraft may continue into the evening.
Before you set off for the airport
Check your flight on the airline’s website or app, and on the arrivals and departures section of aia.gr. Make sure your booking includes the correct mobile number and email address, as any changes will be sent there.
If your flight has been cancelled
Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 covers all flights departing from an EU airport, as well as flights to the EU operated by a European airline. In the event of a cancellation, you may choose between:
- a refund of the ticket price within seven days, or
- re-routing to your destination on another flight, as soon as possible or at a later date that suits you.
Whilst you are waiting for your new flight, the airline is obliged to provide you with meals and refreshments in accordance with the length of the delay, hotel accommodation and transport to the hotel if an overnight stay is required, and two telephone calls or emails.
If your flight is delayed
The right to meals and refreshments applies after two hours for flights of up to 1,500 kilometres, such as Athens–Rome, and after three hours for longer intra-Community flights. If the delay reaches five hours and you decide not to travel, you are entitled to a refund.
The €250 compensation is probably not applicable
The financial compensation provided for in the Regulation (€250 for flights of up to 1,500 km, €400 for intra-Community flights over 1,500 km) is not payable where the cancellation or long delay was caused by extraordinary circumstances which the airline could not have avoided. Problems with air traffic control generally fall into this category. However, refunds, re-routing and care at the airport are payable in all cases, regardless of the cause.
Where to make a complaint
First, contact the airline in writing, keeping your boarding pass and receipts for anything you paid for yourself (meals, taxis, hotels). If they do not reply or their response is not satisfactory, for flights departing from Athens, the competent authority is the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA); for flights departing from Italy, the Italian ENAC. In the event of a dispute with a company from another country, the European Consumer Centre in Greece provides assistance free of charge.
Source: ERT and Naftemporiki, 16 October 2026; Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 on the rights of air passengers.
