Athens airspace went dark, and MEP Elena Kountoura of The Left wants some serious answers and fixes. On January 4, 2026, a major disruption knocked the Athens Flight Information Region's (FIR) critical radio communications offline, grinding air traffic to a halt and spotlighting the fragile state of the region's surveillance and communication technologies. The fallout affects passengers, airlines, Greek aviation authorities, and EU regulators alike — all demanding info on what went wrong and how to prevent a repeat.
This concern is formalised in a parliamentary question posed by Kountoura on January 12, 2026, addressed to the European Commission, seeking a written response. The question probes the incident’s causes, compliance with EU aviation safety laws, and future safeguards.
The document refrains from detailed proposals or hard numeric targets but is rich in pointed requests. It demands if the Commission has questioned Greek authorities about the incident’s nature; scrutinised adherence to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/373 on communication system availability and backup; and plans for technical and regulatory support to Greece’s investigation body, EODASAAM.
Kountoura’s stance nudges policy towards beefing up EU oversight and operational aid concerning flight safety in member states’ air traffic management. The key tension lies in balancing stricter EU regulatory supervision of national aviation infrastructure with the sovereignty of member states to manage their systems. The questions raised imply a push for more rigorous enforcement of existing rules and possibly increasing EU involvement in operational standards.
For stakeholders, airlines and their passengers face direct safety and operational risks amid communication failures. The Greek aviation authorities shoulder reputational and compliance pressures, needing to upgrade and maintain robust systems. EU regulatory bodies like EASA and DG MOVE may see calls for stepped-up oversight and aid. Meanwhile, national investigators such as EODASAAM are spotlighted for their role in cause analysis, looking for technical and regulatory clarity.
The Commission’s reply, expected within weeks, will signal how far Brussels is ready to ensure EU-wide flight safety standards and oversight, and whether it plans to intervene more actively or lean on national authorities to resolve aviation communication vulnerabilities.