A combination of events is causing disruptions at airports across the country.
Long wait times and significant delays have been observed recently at the airports across the country and are attributed to a series of factors that cause major difficulties on a daily basis.
Experts attribute the disruptions observed at Greek airports—and particularly at the country’s largest, the “Eleftherios Venizelos”, due to a combination of factors such as technical inspections, increased traffic due to a large volume of visitors during the summer months, as well as structural constraints in the management of air traffic.
As a result of all this, for yet another summer , there are delays in flights testing passengers’ patience, with thousands of travelers stuck in hours-long waits at the country’s airports.
Aging infrastructure and shortages
At the heart of the problem, as has been repeatedly emphasized in announcements issued by officials of the Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA), is the limited capacity of air traffic control systems, which is due to the age of the system, combined with an insufficient number of air traffic controllers.
At the same time, as sources from the HCAA note, recurring malfunctions in air navigation equipment —which is based on technology from the 1990s—are further exacerbating the situation.
A prime example is the incident on June 24, when a malfunction occurred in a HCAA approach radar installed on Merenda Hill, which serves “Eleftherios Venizelos” Airport.
The main cause of the recent delays is the scheduled checks on the aircraft approach systems. These checks are carried out by special calibration aircraft, which make repeated passes over the airport to verify that all electronic systems guiding the aircraft are operating with absolute precision.
During these tests , the capacity of the airspace is temporarily reduced, because air traffic controllers cannot handle the usual number of arrivals and departures.
The malfunction on June 24 had caused hours of chaos at “Eleftherios Venizelos” Airport, as it resulted in the temporary loss of radar images, leading to a reduction in the number of arrivals handled from 28 to 24 aircraft per hour, causing disruptions to the flight schedule at the country’s largest airport.
Similar technical malfunctions in the Merenda radars had also been recorded last February, as well as in August 2025, at the height of the summer season, once again highlighting the weaknesses of the infrastructure in a country where tourism is a key source of revenue for the economy.
Indicative of the problem observed at our country’s largest airport since the beginning of summer is the fact that Greece is listed on an almost weekly basis among the five mostburdened countries in Europe, usually ranking behind France and Spain.
New control system
In addition to all of the above, this year visitors to our country are also facing a new reality, as passengers from third countries are now required to navigate the hurdle of passport controls both upon arrival and departure. This is due to the implementation of the new entry system —which requires the collection of biometric data, such as fingerprints and a facial photograph.
Since last April, when the new system became mandatory in the countries of the Schengen Area, the average check time per passenger has increased to one and a half minutes approximately, compared to about 20 seconds previously required. This situation is further exacerbated by the fact that this period coincides with the peak of the summer tourist season.
The Athens airport now handles more international flights than in any other year, particularly from North America. In the early morning hours, many transatlantic flights arrive almost simultaneously, followed by dozens of departures to Greek island destinations and European cities. Even a slight reduction in the system’s capacity is enough to cause queues both in the air and on the ground.
Although these checks do not directly affect aircraft takeoff, they result in long wait times for passengers and increase the total time required to complete all pre-boarding procedures. For this reason, both the airport and the airlines recommend that travelers arrive at the airport at least two and a half hours before their departure.
Experts estimate that these pressures will continue throughout the summer. Tourism demand is expected to remain at historically high levels, while the implementation of new biometric checks will continue to put a strain on passport control points. Provided that the technical tests are completed and no new malfunctions occur, the situation is expected to gradually return to normal. However, on days with very heavy passenger traffic or adverse weather conditions, delays are likely to continue.
