Athens, Greece: Air traffic across Greece was halted on Sunday following a radio frequency disruption, authorities said. Flights were suspended nationwide, leaving the skies over Greece largely empty.

According to Greek state TV (ERT) and the country’s civil aviation authority, airport operations were restricted as a safety precaution while the cause of the disruption was investigated. Some overflights through the Athens Flight Information Region (FIR) were still allowed, but arrivals and departures at major airports, including Athens International Airport (Eleftherios Venizelos), were suspended from 9:00 a.m. local time (0700 GMT).

Flight-tracking data showed nearly all Greek airspace was cleared, and several flights were diverted to neighbouring countries. Passengers faced long queues at airports as airlines issued alerts about delays and cancellations.

A spokesperson for Israel’s Airports Authority said Greek airspace was expected to remain closed until 4:00 p.m. local time, urging travellers to prepare for major disruptions to both arrivals and departures.

Posts on X from Greek City Times highlighted the chaos, “Security Check-In Closed Since 9 AM! Due to the ongoing radio frequency failure in Greek airspace (started early January 4, 2026), NO takeoffs possible nationwide. Security check-in & departures halted at Athens International since ~9 AM.”

“Massive queues building up, passengers stranded. Arrivals are landing manually where possible, but many diversions/delays. All Greek airports affected – FIR Athens effectively closed. Civil Aviation Authority rushing fixes, but no ETA yet. Airlines issuing alerts – expect huge delays/cancellations today,” it added.

Authorities are working urgently to restore communications systems and reopen Greek airspace.