Greek airports faced major delays for a second consecutive day Friday after air traffic controllers capped arrivals at Athens International Airport, citing capacity limits and opposition to government reforms.
Controllers reduced incoming flights at Athens airport to 28 per hour, down from 36 during the summer peak, said Panagiotis Psaros, president of the Union of Air Traffic Controllers.
Psaros said the limit reflects the airport’s actual capacity after controllers were pushed over the summer to handle more flights than resources allowed. He added that the cap would remain in place.
The move has triggered a domino effect of delays at Greece’s busiest airport and nationwide. Aegean Airlines said the reduction cut Athens’ arrival capacity by about 25%, causing delays of 30 to 40 minutes in the morning, worsening throughout the day.
Psaros said the action also protests a draft bill put to public consultation Thursday by the Transport Ministry to reorganize the Civil Aviation Authority. Controllers argue the reform will worsen operations and say their proposals have been ignored.
Industry sources told Kathimerini the next two to three months will be critical for hiring staff and upgrading technology to normalize air traffic operations, warning that chronic inefficiencies have long plagued the system.
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