Open questions remain about the serious blackout in Athens FIR, with air traffic controllers stating they are still awaiting the official report on the causes of the incident, while scenarios multiply and answers are delayed.
The vice president of the Air Traffic Controllers Union, Olga Toki, speaking on Parapolitika 90.1 radio station, mentioned that not even the controllers themselves have an official picture of what caused the Athens FIR blackout, noting that the case is now being investigated by both the prosecutor and an independent committee.
Athens FIR blackout and awaiting findings
Olga Toki emphasized that different scenarios are heard daily, yet there is no official briefing. As she characteristically stated, “we are also waiting for the official report. Many scenarios have been heard and new ones keep appearing, but I want to believe that soon someone will tell us exactly what happened.”
Responding to the question of whether similar incidents have occurred before, she underlined that in the daily operation of air traffic control, frequencies are often lost for a few minutes or even days, while loss of radar images or communication interference is not uncommon.
Athens FIR and technical equipment
The vice president of the Air Traffic Controllers Union noted that Greece lags significantly behind other European and neighboring countries, which, as she said, have modernized years ago in terms of equipment and technological tools for air traffic control.
According to her, the recent incident could have been handled differently if there had been an alternative communication system with crews through written messages, a system that, as she pointed out, Greece should have had for years. She even mentioned that there is a conviction from the European Court of Justice regarding this specific deficiency.
Referring to the reasons why this system has not been installed, she attributed responsibility to long-standing decisions by CAA administrations and the political leadership of the Transport Ministry.
When asked about the level of flight safety, Olga Toki noted that aircraft provide a high level of safety, however she emphasized that the overall level depends directly on the tools and equipment available to controllers.
Finally, she expressed her annoyance with the contradictory announcements from the CAA, pointing out that initially there were references to a possible cyber attack, which were later retracted. At the same time, she commented on the fact that so many days after the incident there has been no public statement from the director of the Civil Aviation Authority, saying she would like to officially hear the CAA’s explanation of what happened.
