Resignation accepted after findings released
In the wake of the official findings of the investigation into the Athens FIR blackout on Sunday, 4 January 2026, the head of Greece’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Giorgos Saounatsos, has submitted his resignation.
The resignation was tendered to Infrastructure and Transport Minister Christos Dimas and was formally accepted, according to an announcement by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.
Interim appointment announced
Under the same announcement, duties of CAA Governor will be assumed on an interim basis by the Deputy Governor for Air Navigation, Giorgos Vagenas. Procedures for the appointment of a new permanent Governor are expected to be launched immediately.
What caused the blackout
As outlined in the report made public on Tuesday, the disruption that caused widespread chaos at Greek airports was attributed to a complex combination of technical failures, outdated telecommunications infrastructure and insufficient operational coordination.
According to the official findings submitted by the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority to Minister Dimas, the incident was not the result of a cyberattack or external interference, but stemmed from internal technical malfunctions affecting critical communication systems.
“Digital noise” and system desynchronisation
Experts concluded that the incident was caused by “digital noise” resulting from desynchronisation across multiple heterogeneous systems and interfaces feeding into the Air Traffic Control Telecommunications Centres (KEPATHM). This led to the unintended activation and continuous transmission of a critical number of transmitters, degrading and interrupting essential telecommunications links.
Full restoration was achieved following system resynchronisation and restarts after traffic was rerouted across the core network.
Flight safety measures applied
For flight safety reasons, a full capacity restriction (zero rate) was imposed and emergency procedures were activated. Services were restored gradually, with complete recovery recorded at 16:53 local time following voluntary action by the telecommunications provider.
Based on reports submitted to the ECCAIRS platform and the assessment of the Hellenic Aviation Authority, the incident was classified as low risk (Green Area), with no breach of minimum aircraft separation reported. No indications of cyberattack or malicious external interference were identified.
No aviation safety threat identified
The report further states that no issue of aviation security was identified in terms of aircraft exposure to direct or indirect risk.
However, the committee highlighted that the existing Voice Communication System (VCS) and supporting telecommunications infrastructure rely on obsolete SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) technology, which is no longer supported by the manufacturer and cannot be guaranteed to operate reliably.
Key recommendations
The special committee’s recommendations include:
- accelerating the transition to VoIP technology through completion and deployment of the new VCS/RCS systems and 495 new transceivers
- establishing a permanent joint rapid-response mechanism between the CAA and the telecommunications provider, with standardised crisis procedures under aviation authority oversight
- strengthening telemetry, remote control and end-to-end diagnostic capabilities at critical network points
- enhanced radio spectrum monitoring by the national telecoms regulator for early detection of interference
- relocation of KEPATHM facilities to a more suitable environment to reduce systemic operational risks and dependencies
The findings underline the need for urgent infrastructure modernisation to ensure uninterrupted and safe air navigation services.
Also read: Larnaca flight emergency return, aircraft turns back mid-flight
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