ATHENS, Jan 14 (Reuters) - An eight-hour radio outage at Greek airports last week that forced authorities to clear the airspace was partly due to outdated communications systems, investigators said, as the issue showed infrastructure gaps in a key tourist destination.
The report on Wednesday by the investigatory panel, commissioned by the government, prompted the resignation of one high-ranking official.
Flights were suspended into and over Greece on January 4 when air traffic controllers lost contact with most planes, including dozens heading for Greek airports,as radio frequencies went down and were replaced by static.
Aviation experts said the incident was unprecedented in the southern European country.
KEY TELECOM INFRASTRUCTURE BASED ON OUTDATED TECH
The cause of the outage, which occurred as multiple systems fell out of sync and caused a scramble in communications between airport towers and planes, remains unclear, the report by the five-member investigating committee said.
A transport ministry official said in response that Greece's systems were in line with EU standards, though the ministry had implemented an upgrade plan expected to be completed in 2028.
Unions, who have been calling for upgrades for years, say the system is dangerous, especially amid a tourism boom with millions flying to Greece every year. On Wednesday, they said the report "fully vindicates" their concerns.
AVIATION AUTHORITY GOVERNOR STEPS DOWN
The governor of the Civil Aviation Authority, George Saounatsos, resigned on Wednesday, Greece's transport ministry said in a statement, adding that incumbent deputy governor George Vagenas would stand in until a new governor is hired.
The investigatory report said that while the incident was "low risk" in terms of flight safety, the Civil Aviation Authority's voice communication system and critical supporting telecom infrastructure were based on outdated technology.
That infrastructure is no longer supported by manufacturers and lacks operational guarantees, said the report, submitted to the transport ministry and published late Tuesday.
Greek telecom provider OTE had since 2019warned the civil aviation authority that its systems needed new circuits, the report said, urging upgraded transceivers and other changes.
It also recommended creation of a crisis-response mechanism between the civil aviation authority and OTE.
(Reporting by Renee Maltezou; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Bernadette Baum)
