A serious technical issue at the Milan Area Control Centre caused a complete suspension of air operations at the largest airports in northwest Italy for nearly two hours on Saturday evening. This incident affected over 300 flights and thousands of passengers.
The malfunction occurred just before 9:00 PM (local time) in the radar and communication system of Enav—the National Flight Assistance Agency. This forced the agency to block all takeoffs and landings at Malpensa, Linate, Bergamo, Turin, and Genoa airports. The problem impacted air traffic across Lombardy, Piedmont, Aosta Valley, and Liguria, with airlines diverting or canceling flights, leading to chaos in the region’s air connections.
Ripple Effect of Delays and Disruptions
At Malpensa Airport, passengers faced closed shops and lounges, and according to testimonies, even the air conditioning wasn’t working. Among the affected passengers were Greek nationals on Aegean Airlines flight A3665, who reported no available support at the airport, as the airline has no physical presence there. Flight A3665 was eventually expected to depart after the problem was resolved. However, had it remained grounded, passengers would have had to find accommodation on their own and claim compensation afterward, in accordance with European passenger rights regulations.
Fragile Digital Infrastructure of Air Traffic Control
The malfunction involved the transmission of radar information, meteorological forecasts, and technical data from control towers to cockpits, disrupting critical communications. Restoration was achieved around 11:00 PM (local time), but the repercussions continued with further delays and cancellations due to the domino effect.
The Italian news agency ANSA reported that some flights began departing after 10:15 PM; however, as reported by Corriere della Sera, a new interruption followed until the system fully stabilized shortly thereafter.
Advice for Travelers
The management body for Rome’s airports advised passengers to avoid traveling to northern Italian airports unless absolutely necessary and to contact their airlines for flight confirmation.
Enav described the incident as one of the most severe technological blackouts in recent years, highlighting the need to strengthen the security of critical air navigation systems.
