General

Thousands of travelers are stuck across Europe due to a communications issue that led to the closure of Greece's airspace, resulting in many flight cancellations and delays. Authorities are investigating the cause of the radio communication failure that occurred on Sunday morning, which led to a temporary halt of all arrivals and departures. Some flights have now been allowed to resume, but inbound flights are still being redirected or told to return to where they came from. Athens International Airport has faced significant disruptions, and Thessaloniki airport is completely shut down. With the timing of this incident, there are concerns that travelers may not make it home before the workweek begins. One passenger at Athens International Airport shared with Greek broadcaster Mega TV, “I was supposed to fly to London, through Stockholm, with SAS. I have to work at Newport Hospital tomorrow morning. I won’t make it on time, and I’m not sure what else to say. Who will cover the extra costs of this travel? We still don’t know if or when we will leave; no one is giving us updates.” Over 90 flights have been impacted at Athens airport alone, although some operations have resumed. An airport staff member informed the BBC that 35 planes per hour can now take off, but they remain unable to accept incoming flights. Flights from Dublin, Barcelona, and Paris had to return to their starting points, while services from Copenhagen and Malta were completely canceled.