A fault in the data network behind Italy’s air traffic control systems disrupted flights across Europe on Friday, after Italian authorities and Eurocontrol cut the capacity of Italian airspace.
The disruption hit flights to and from Italy and those crossing Italian airspace to other countries, causing knock-on delays across Europe. It is not yet clear when the problem will be fixed.
Similar delays are expected for arrivals and departures at Greek airports, where airlines are already advising passengers to check for changes to their flight times.
Italy’s air traffic control service, Enav, said the faults in the data transmission network supporting air traffic control systems were detected during the night. Flights initially continued on backup systems, but restrictions became necessary as traffic built up in the morning.
From 6am, the authorities began regulating air traffic flows, temporarily limiting the number of aircraft that can be handled in Italian airspace.
Enav said the measures were taken to keep flights safe, adding that there was no sign of a cyberattack or sabotage.
Rome
At Rome’s Fiumicino, one of Italy’s largest airports, four flights to Milan Linate, Riyadh, Tirana and Trieste had been cancelled, according to information available so far. About 20 flights were delayed by 15 to 60 minutes.
Passengers have been urged to contact their airlines to check the status of their flights.
Milan and Bergamo
Airports in Lombardy were also badly affected, with both departures and arrivals disrupted.
At Milan Malpensa, departures were delayed by between 30 minutes and more than two hours, with fewer problems on arrivals. At Linate, arriving flights were delayed by up to an hour, and some departures by longer.
At Bergamo’s Orio al Serio airport, a Ryanair flight to Trapani scheduled for 6.50am left an hour and a half late, while another Ryanair flight, to Berlin, was delayed by one hour and 20 minutes. A Volotea flight from Olbia due at 7.45am was rescheduled to arrive at 11.18am.
Airport operators warned that more flights could be affected during the day.
Trieste
The disruption also reached Trieste airport in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. A flight from Fiumicino that was due to arrive in the morning and then depart again was cancelled, and a Trieste to Milan Linate service was moved back by several hours.
