{"id":2110848,"date":"2026-08-25T07:08:05","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T04:08:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2110848"},"modified":"2026-08-25T07:08:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T04:08:05","slug":"greek-air-traffic-controllers-pushed-to-limit-by-tourism-boom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2110848","title":{"rendered":"Greek air traffic controllers pushed to limit by tourism boom"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/73\/02\/1200x675_cmsv2_804a8b07-ae8a-5286-8987-2fac8267dc20-9887302.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"abe-2920484-pos1-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1 m-modeXL-1\" data-nid=\"2920484\" data-cid=\"9888430\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920484-label-pos1-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/84\/30\/189x106_cmsv2_887891c9-369a-53a6-a9c0-88e3b65cb881-9888430.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"AP Photo\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Canada<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Canada hits back with new counter tariffs on US goods\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920415-pos2-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1 m-modeXL-1 the-media-object--has-video\" data-nid=\"2920415\" data-cid=\"9888067\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920415-label-pos2-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/44\/53\/189x106_cmsv2_8262ca64-6af6-5b9f-9134-dc6149d124cb-9884453.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Mongolian pavilion at the COP17 conference in Ulaanbaatar\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Mongolia<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Mongolia positions itself as Asia&#8217;s next data centre hub\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920473-pos3-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1 m-modeXL-1\" data-nid=\"2920473\" data-cid=\"9888358\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920473-label-pos3-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/83\/58\/189x106_cmsv2_7be52bd1-8c36-5fe3-b3e8-0599a1e2dd62-9888358.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"CIA Director John Ratcliffe speaks at the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit, July 15, 2026.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div 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id=\"abe-2920415-pos2-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--has-video\" data-nid=\"2920415\" data-cid=\"9888067\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920415-label-pos2-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/44\/53\/189x106_cmsv2_8262ca64-6af6-5b9f-9134-dc6149d124cb-9884453.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Mongolian pavilion at the COP17 conference in Ulaanbaatar\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Mongolia<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Mongolia positions itself as Asia&#8217;s next data centre hub\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920473-pos3-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2\" data-nid=\"2920473\" data-cid=\"9888358\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920473-label-pos3-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/83\/58\/189x106_cmsv2_7be52bd1-8c36-5fe3-b3e8-0599a1e2dd62-9888358.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"CIA Director John Ratcliffe speaks at the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit, July 15, 2026.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Europe News<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    CIA director Ratcliffe makes secret trip to Moscow, US reports claim\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920464-pos4-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2\" data-nid=\"2920464\" data-cid=\"9888301\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920464-label-pos4-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/83\/01\/189x106_cmsv2_8fa4b5b1-5596-569f-b8c0-7c82dc4330cc-9888301.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wears artificial intelligence-powered smart glasses and a wristband as he speaks during the company&apos;s Connect developer conference.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Tech News<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Norway moves to tighten rules on use of smart glasses\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"helper-site-row o-article-newsy\">\n<div class=\"helper-site-container o-article-newsy__container\">\n<div class=\"o-article-newsy__main\">\n<header class=\"h-grid o-article-newsy__main__header\">\n<nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumbs\" class=\"c-article-breadcrumbs\">\n<div id=\"adb-article-breadcrumb\" class=\"c-article-breadcrumbs__list\">\n<p>                          Travel<\/p>\n<p>                          Travel News<\/p><\/div>\n<\/nav>\n<h1 class=\"c-article-redesign-title\">\n                            Greek air traffic controllers pushed to limit by tourism boom<\/h1>\n<div class=\"c-article-image-video u-position-relative \">\n<div class=\"js-superdiv u-aspect-ratio-16x9 u-position-relative \" data-controller=\"video-player\" data-sponsored=\"Partner content\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"js-poster-img c-article-media__img\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/73\/02\/1536x864_cmsv2_804a8b07-ae8a-5286-8987-2fac8267dc20-9887302.jpg\" width=\"1536\" height=\"864\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"File photo\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-caption u-position-absolute\"><i id=\"article-caption-content\" class=\"c-article-caption__content\"><span class=\"c-article-caption__text\"><br \/>\n              file photo<br \/>\n                    <span class=\"u-color-white\">&#8211;\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c-article-caption__copyright\">Copyright\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c-article-caption__credit\">AP Photo\/Yorgos Karahalis<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-image-copyright c-article-image-copyright--novideo\">\n      Copyright\u00a0AP Photo\/Yorgos Karahalis\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"h-grid o-article-newsy__main__body u-article-content\">\n<div class=\"o-article-newsy__contributors-publication-date\">\n<div class=\"c-article-contributors\">\n  By&amp;nbspIoannis Karagiorgas&amp;nbsp&amp;&amp;nbsp<b>euronews<\/b>&amp;nbspwith&amp;nbsp<b>afp<\/b><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-publication-date\" data-timestamp=\"1787641685\">\n         Published on<br \/>\n            <time datetime=\"2026-08-25 09:08:05 +02:00\">25\/08\/2026 &#8211; 9:08 GMT+2<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div 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height=\"24\" alt=\"bluesky\" loading=\"lazy\"><span>Bluesky<\/span><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-bluesky.svg\" width=\"48\" height=\"48\" alt=\"bluesky\" class=\"u-show-for-desktop\" loading=\"lazy\"><span class=\"u-display-flex u-gap-1 u-show-for-mobile-only\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-threads.svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" alt=\"threads\" loading=\"lazy\"><span>Threads<\/span><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-threads.svg\" width=\"48\" height=\"48\" alt=\"threads\" class=\"u-show-for-desktop\" loading=\"lazy\"><span class=\"u-display-flex u-gap-1 u-show-for-mobile-only\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-whatsapp.svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" alt=\"whatsapp\" loading=\"lazy\"><span>Whatsapp<\/span><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-whatsapp.svg\" width=\"48\" height=\"48\" alt=\"whatsapp\" class=\"u-show-for-desktop\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"c-article-summary\">\n        A surge in flights, staff shortages and ageing infrastructure are increasing pressure on controllers as Greece races to modernise its aviation network.<br \/>\n    <\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-article-content c-article-content--travel js-article-content\">\n<p>On the screens at the Control Centre in Athens, the symbols representing aircraft form an ever denser network. At the height of the summer season, air traffic controllers are called on to manage thousands of flights in Greek skies that seem to be reaching the limits of their capacity.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-mobile-only\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt loading=\"lazy\"><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-desktop\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt loading=\"lazy\"><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Olga Toki, vice-president of the Hellenic Air Traffic Controllers Association, paints a picture of intense strain: Traffic is so heavy, she says, that at certain times it is hard to find any additional space for new aircraft.<\/p>\n<p>The figures illustrate the scale of the burden. According to the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority, in low-demand months, Greek airports usually handle around 1,000 to 1,500 flights a day. In the first week of July, however, the daily average soared to 2,700 flights.<\/p>\n<p>The picture is similar across the wider region. Eurocontrol estimates that air traffic in south-eastern Europe, which includes Greek airspace, is about 40% higher than in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>The increase goes hand in hand with the spectacular rebound of Greek tourism. Visitor arrivals reached 38 million last year, surpassing the previous record of 2019 by 23%, in a country of around 10 million inhabitants.<\/p>\n<h3>The malfunction that exposed the system&#8217;s weaknesses<\/h3>\n<p>The pressure on the system had become evident long before the peak of the summer season. On 4 January, a serious malfunction in the communications system between controllers and aircraft exposed the weaknesses of the existing infrastructure.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-widget-related\" data-stories-id data-event=\"widget_related\">\n<div class=\"c-widget-related__title\"><b class=\"c-widget-related__title__text\" lang=\"en\">Related<\/b><\/div>\n<ul class=\"c-widget-related__list\">\n<li class=\"c-widget-related__item\">Ryanair renews call for urgent air traffic control reform after &#8216;unacceptable&#8217; Athens flight delays<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>Controllers could still see the flights on their radar screens, but they could not communicate by voice with the pilots. The authorities were forced to close Greek airspace for several hours, resulting in flight cancellations and aircraft being diverted to neighbouring countries.<\/p>\n<p>The incident accelerated the announcement of a major modernisation programme with a budget of around \u20ac300 million. Among other things, it provides for the installation of new digital communications systems and the replacement of ageing radar equipment.<\/p>\n<p>Installation of the new systems began in mid-August, and the overall plan foresees the completion of the upgrades by 2028.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, Greece is under pressure at the European level as well. The European Commission took the country to the Court of Justice of the European Union last year, arguing that it had failed to adapt its air navigation procedures in time to the international Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) standard.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6665\">\n<div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n<div class=\"widget__contents\">\n<figure class=\"widget__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/73\/02\/808x539_cmsv2_2e3e7d30-594b-50ab-b90e-5c97980d8fa5-9887302.jpg\" alt=\"Passengers check flight information as rising air traffic and pressure on Greece&apos;s aviation network contribute to delays during the peak summer season.\"><figcaption class=\"widget__caption\"><span class=\"widget__captionWrap\"><span class=\"widget__captionText\">Passengers check flight information as rising air traffic and pressure on Greece&#8217;s aviation network contribute to delays during the peak summer season.<\/span><span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo\/Yorgos Karahalis<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Heavy traffic, limited staff<\/h3>\n<p>Inside the control room, Greek airspace is divided into ten sectors. Each sector is overseen by one controller, assisted by a colleague. In summer, though, the surge in traffic runs up against another long-standing problem: staff shortages.<\/p>\n<p>Shift supervisor Giorgos Stamoulakatos estimates that the current 154 controllers fall well short of the service&#8217;s real needs, which he puts at around 250.<\/p>\n<p>Recruitment has been stepped up, with 92 new controllers due in 2025 and another 77 in 2026. However, this reinforcement cannot deliver results immediately, as it takes about five years of training before a new controller acquires the necessary operational experience.<\/p>\n<h3>Twice as many aircraft in the space of an hour<\/h3>\n<p>Areti Anastopoulou has worked in air traffic control for more than three decades. One of her tasks is to organise the sequence of aircraft coming in to land, ensuring the necessary distances between them.<\/p>\n<p>Under normal conditions, she explains, a controller can handle around 20 aircraft in an hour. In peak periods, however, that number can reach 40, inevitably causing delays and adding to the pressure.<\/p>\n<p>In one illustrative case, 33 aircraft landed in just one hour, even though the planned upper limit is 28. She says she has repeatedly had to ask crews to reduce speed or change course in order to maintain the required safety distances.<\/p>\n<p>As she points out, controllers are making an extremely demanding effort to keep operations safe in an environment where margins are becoming ever tighter.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6365\">\n<div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n<div class=\"widget__contents\">\n<figure class=\"widget__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/73\/02\/808x515_cmsv2_759e8b56-fafe-5cb8-b1b2-e9aeca518a4a-9887302.jpg\" alt=\"Athens International Airport handled 15.75 million passengers in the first six months of 2026, an increase of 4.5% year-on-year.\"><figcaption class=\"widget__caption\"><span class=\"widget__captionWrap\"><span class=\"widget__captionText\">Athens International Airport handled 15.75 million passengers in the first six months of 2026, an increase of 4.5% year-on-year.<\/span><span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo\/Thanassis Stavrakis<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Additional pressure from the Middle East<\/h3>\n<p>Geopolitical instability in the Middle East has added to the already strained situation. According to Eurocontrol, about 300 extra flights now pass through Greek airspace every day, a number that accounts for almost 6% of total daily traffic.<\/p>\n<p>Greece&#8217;s geographical position creates further demands. As Olga Toki points out, beyond commercial flights the competent services also monitor the activities of Turkish aircraft and unmanned systems, further increasing the workload.<\/p>\n<h3>Delays increasingly felt by passengers<\/h3>\n<p>Inevitably, the consequences are felt all the way to the arrivals halls.<\/p>\n<p>Jose Lopez, who recently arrived in Athens from Barcelona with a delay of about half an hour, did not find the experience particularly surprising. For mid-August, he said, such a delay is not unusual, and in the past he has faced much longer waits.<\/p>\n<p>Christos, who works at a large hotel in Athens, is less forgiving. According to him, delays are more frequent than last year, and he has sometimes had to wait as long as seven hours for guests arriving from the United States.<\/p>\n<p>For controllers, the issue is not the growth of tourism as such, but whether the infrastructure can keep pace with it. As Anastopoulou sums up, tourism is a crucial asset for the Greek economy, but the constant increase in flights cannot be sustained without corresponding investment in human resources, technology and infrastructure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>                                  Go to accessibility shortcuts<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-article-share-comment u-align-items-center u-display-flex\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__links u-align-items-center u-display-flex u-justify-content-center js-c-article-share-comment-share\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label\">Share<\/span><\/span><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label\">Comments<\/span><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label c-article-share-comment__label--always\">Add Euronews on Google<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"adb-article-you-might-also-like\" class=\"perf-cv-auto c-article-you-might-also-like\">\n<h2 class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__title\">\n        Read more<br \/>\n      <\/h2>\n<div 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id=\"abe-2920352-pos5-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2920352\" data-cid=\"9887700\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920352-label-pos5-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/77\/00\/320x180_cmsv2_8ca9cdc6-d608-5da3-9f7e-dd46a12c263e-9887700.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"European Sleeper\u2019s first route into Scandinavia is targeted to begin operations in April 2028\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    New sleeper train to launch between Brussels and Malm\u00f6 in 2028<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920113-pos6-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2920113\" data-cid=\"9886504\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920113-label-pos6-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/65\/04\/320x180_cmsv2_c6be34b7-bb7c-5517-a348-511fe1fc75e0-9886504.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"The Ritz-Carlton Reserve Shanghai will open in 2030 \" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    First-ever urban Ritz-Carlton Reserve set to open in Shanghai<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2919838-pos1-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--has-related the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2919838\" data-cid=\"9885234\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Homes in the Sicilian town of Naro are on sale for just \u20ac1<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920324-pos2-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--has-related the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2920324\" data-cid=\"9887526\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Where you can go on holiday in Europe for less than \u20ac100 a day<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920000-pos3-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--has-related the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2920000\" data-cid=\"9885860\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Faroe Islands expands its self-navigating car itineraries<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920281-pos4-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2920281\" data-cid=\"9887320\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Greek air traffic controllers pushed to limit by tourism boom<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2919210-pos5-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--has-related the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2919210\" data-cid=\"9882452\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Everything you need to know about airport codes<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"articleBody\" data-key=\"articleBody\">On the screens at the Control Centre in Athens, the symbols representing aircraft form an ever denser network. At the height of the summer season, air traffic controllers are called on to manage thousands of flights in Greek skies that seem to be reaching the limits of their capacity.Olga Toki, vice-president of the Hellenic Air Traffic Controllers Association, paints a picture of intense strain: Traffic is so heavy, she says, that at certain times it is hard to find any additional space for new aircraft.The figures illustrate the scale of the burden. According to the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority, in low-demand months, Greek airports usually handle around 1,000 to 1,500 flights a day. In the first week of July, however, the daily average soared to 2,700 flights.The picture is similar across the wider region. Eurocontrol estimates that air traffic in south-eastern Europe, which includes Greek airspace, is about 40% higher than in 2019.The increase goes hand in hand with the spectacular rebound of Greek tourism. Visitor arrivals reached 38 million last year, surpassing the previous record of 2019 by 23%, in a country of around 10 million inhabitants.The malfunction that exposed the system&#8217;s weaknessesThe pressure on the system had become evident long before the peak of the summer season. On 4 January, a serious malfunction in the communications system between controllers and aircraft exposed the weaknesses of the existing infrastructure.Controllers could still see the flights on their radar screens, but they could not communicate by voice with the pilots. The authorities were forced to close Greek airspace for several hours, resulting in flight cancellations and aircraft being diverted to neighbouring countries.The incident accelerated the announcement of a major modernisation programme with a budget of around \u20ac300 million. Among other things, it provides for the installation of new digital communications systems and the replacement of ageing radar equipment.Installation of the new systems began in mid-August, and the overall plan foresees the completion of the upgrades by 2028.At the same time, Greece is under pressure at the European level as well. The European Commission took the country to the Court of Justice of the European Union last year, arguing that it had failed to adapt its air navigation procedures in time to the international Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) standard.Heavy traffic, limited staffInside the control room, Greek airspace is divided into ten sectors. Each sector is overseen by one controller, assisted by a colleague. In summer, though, the surge in traffic runs up against another long-standing problem: staff shortages.Shift supervisor Giorgos Stamoulakatos estimates that the current 154 controllers fall well short of the service&#8217;s real needs, which he puts at around 250.Recruitment has been stepped up, with 92 new controllers due in 2025 and another 77 in 2026. However, this reinforcement cannot deliver results immediately, as it takes about five years of training before a new controller acquires the necessary operational experience.Twice as many aircraft in the space of an hourAreti Anastopoulou has worked in air traffic control for more than three decades. One of her tasks is to organise the sequence of aircraft coming in to land, ensuring the necessary distances between them.Under normal conditions, she explains, a controller can handle around 20 aircraft in an hour. In peak periods, however, that number can reach 40, inevitably causing delays and adding to the pressure.In one illustrative case, 33 aircraft landed in just one hour, even though the planned upper limit is 28. She says she has repeatedly had to ask crews to reduce speed or change course in order to maintain the required safety distances.As she points out, controllers are making an extremely demanding effort to keep operations safe in an environment where margins are becoming ever tighter.Additional pressure from the Middle EastGeopolitical instability in the Middle East has added to the already strained situation. According to Eurocontrol, about 300 extra flights now pass through Greek airspace every day, a number that accounts for almost 6% of total daily traffic.Greece&#8217;s geographical position creates further demands. As Olga Toki points out, beyond commercial flights the competent services also monitor the activities of Turkish aircraft and unmanned systems, further increasing the workload.Delays increasingly felt by passengersInevitably, the consequences are felt all the way to the arrivals halls.Jose Lopez, who recently arrived in Athens from Barcelona with a delay of about half an hour, did not find the experience particularly surprising. For mid-August, he said, such a delay is not unusual, and in the past he has faced much longer waits.Christos, who works at a large hotel in Athens, is less forgiving. According to him, delays are more frequent than last year, and he has sometimes had to wait as long as seven hours for guests arriving from the United States.For controllers, the issue is not the growth of tourism as such, but whether the infrastructure can keep pace with it. As Anastopoulou sums up, tourism is a crucial asset for the Greek economy, but the constant increase in flights cannot be sustained without corresponding investment in human resources, technology and infrastructure.<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/travel\/2026\/08\/25\/greek-air-traffic-controllers-pushed-to-limit-by-tourism-boom&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/73\/02\/1200x675_cmsv2_804a8b07-ae8a-5286-8987-2fac8267dc20-9887302.jpg&#8221;] Canada Canada hits back with new counter tariffs on US goods Mongolia Mongolia positions itself as Asia&#8217;s next data centre hub Europe News CIA director Ratcliffe makes secret trip to Moscow, US reports claim Tech News Norway moves to tighten rules on use of smart glasses Canada Canada hits back with new [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[90],"tags":[226,36],"class_list":["post-2110848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-international","tag-crawlmanager","tag-euronews-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2110848","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2110848"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2110848\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2110848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2110848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2110848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}