Greek CAA President Resigns After Radio Communication Outage
Giorgos Saounatsos, President of the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), has resigned following the release of a report into an eight-hour radio communication outage at airports across Greece. Due to the disruption, Greek airspace was temporarily closed, leading to numerous flight cancellations and diversions.
A five-member investigation committee appointed by the government stated that the incident was classified as “low risk” in terms of flight safety. The report ruled out the possibility of a cyberattack, noting instead that the simultaneous failure of multiple systems disrupted communication between control towers and aircraft. It was emphasized that pilots and air traffic controllers managed the situation effectively.
The report also highlighted that the CAA’s voice communication system and critical telecommunications infrastructure relied on outdated technologies that are no longer supported by manufacturers. It was noted that the Greek telecommunications company OTE had warned the CAA since 2019 about the need to upgrade these systems.
Image: HuffPost Greece
