How Greece is causing massive flight delays in Europe

Outdated radar, too few air traffic controllers: Europe's flights are backed up in Athens, and the tourism boom is pushing Greece's air traffic control to its limits. Under massive pressure from the European Union (EU) and the airlines, the government in Athens is now promising a fresh start. But the modernization is coming late, will take years, and will only gradually ease the burden on passengers and airlines.

More than 300 million euros are to be invested in a modernization program for the Greek Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Transport Minister Christos Dimas emphasizes that the project is an "absolute priority." Together with the EU Commission, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and Eurocontrol, the European air traffic management organization, Greece has developed an action plan with 364 measures.

That sounds like determination. But for many years, Athens has ignored warnings, postponed investments, and stalled on reforms – despite infringement proceedings, warnings, and even sanctions from the EU.

The system's fragility became apparent on August 19: A technical defect in air traffic control reduced radar visibility at Athens Airport. This resulted in delays that affected not only Greece but all of Europe. That this could happen is no coincidence. The radar technology at Athens Airport dates back to 2001, when the airport opened. Back then, air traffic controllers had to coordinate almost 160,000 flight movements. Today, that number is almost 280,000 – with the same technical equipment.

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Greece is experiencing its third consecutive tourism record this year. Between January and July, the number of passengers increased by almost five percent, and flight movements by 3.6 percent. However, the air traffic control infrastructure is not keeping pace.

Holidaymakers are experiencing the consequences firsthand: Pilots are telling passengers on runways in Frankfurt, Zurich, or Vienna that they have to wait for a slot, a time window for takeoff, because Greek airspace is congested. In reality, the controllers in Athens and on the islands simply can't handle more aircraft safely with the old air traffic control technology.

Takeoffs and landings have to be rationed – sometimes jets wait an hour for takeoff clearance. Many return flights from Greece to other countries also often have to wait a long time for a slot allocation due to capacity constraints.

The impact is immense. According to Eurocontrol data, 16 percent of all delays in Europe between August 4 and 10 were due to problems in Greece. That doesn't sound like much. But a comparison makes the scale clear: Spain recorded 2.6 million flight movements during the same period – more than four times that of Greece – but was responsible for only 13 percent of European delays. Airlines are losing millions. Passengers miss connections, have to stay in hotels, or end up somewhere completely different on their way home because delayed return flights are diverted due to night flight bans. This disrupts subsequent flight schedules. Delays in one country quickly affect the network across Europe.

Low-cost airline Ryanair, which operates particularly tightly, is sounding the alarm. It has already reported over 5,000 delayed flights this year as a result of the crisis in Greece. Nearly one million passengers were affected. Other airlines are also complaining about the ongoing crisis in Greek airspace. "The delays in Athens are our biggest problem," says a senior manager at a Greek airline.

The weaknesses have long been known. Communications systems and radar are over 20 years old, and spare parts are scarce. Many devices date back to a time when digital standards were not yet a factor. Added to this is an acute staff shortage: According to union figures, over 100 air traffic controller positions are vacant because the government has failed to train and recruit junior staff for years.

The EU has repeatedly warned the Greek government. As early as 2022, the Commission initiated infringement proceedings because Greece had failed to implement key requirements of the "Single European Sky" project. The 2017 aircraft identification regulations have not yet been fully complied with, nor has the publication of approach procedures, which has been mandatory since 2018. In 2020, Athens promised EASA that it would purchase new radar systems – but for years, nothing has happened.

Only now, under massive pressure, is there any movement. The ancient "Pallas 3G" radar system is to be replaced, and the airports of Thessaloniki, Heraklion, Rhodes, Corfu, Limnos, Karpathos, and Andravida will receive modern Mode S radars that enable digital data exchange between aircraft and the ground. In addition, 97 new air traffic controllers are to be hired this year, with another 72 by 2026.

But the ambitious plan is coming late. Implementation will drag on until at least the end of 2028. Until then, travelers, airlines, and crews will continue to have to deal with delays, waiting times, and diversions. Greek airspace remains a bottleneck for European air traffic—and an example of how long a country can ignore problems before they become a European crisis.

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