Italy: Nationwide air traffic control issues disrupt flights at Rome airport

At Rome's Fiumicino Airport, a nationwide disruption to air traffic control services caused at least 12 flights out of a total of 12 to be cancelled by mid-morning, disrupting travel to major Italian cities including Milan Linate, Bari, Riyadh, Tirana, Turin, Trieste, Valencia, Munich, Lyon, Catania, Venice and Trapani. Passengers at the airport faced delays of 15 to 60 minutes, creating long queues around departure boards for updates. Airlines were advised to contact passengers directly for the latest information.

The issue was first detected overnight by ENAV, Italy's air navigation service provider, who implemented contingency systems to maintain operations until 6am. However, as air traffic volume increased, the authorities had to introduce flow-management measures which reduced the country's air traffic capacity by a significant 50 per cent. ENAV explained they were utilizing alternative data-transmission systems to handle the increased volume, including intercontinental flights, to ensure as many departures as possible.

The company stated that their technicians had identified the anomalies in their data network as the cause of the disruption and were working diligently to ascertain the cause and restore full capacity. ENAV ruled out any possibility of a cyberattack or sabotage, assuring the public that flight operations remained safe. The problem extended beyond Rome, with similar delays and cancellations reported across Italy at airports such as Milan, Bergamo, Naples, Venice, Palermo and Cagliari.

Passengers were warned that further disruption could occur as the situation is being actively addressed.