Delays, screeches and air battles between the Ministry and controllers at airports

Dozens of flights are operating with significant delays every day at the country's largest airports, as a result of the sudden decision of air traffic controllers to limit the capacity to serve flights per hour to 28, from 36 that were in effect during the summer season.

In many cases, the delays reach or exceed half an hour, causing inconvenience to a large number of visitors to the country and embarrassment to the domestic tourism industry before the season is well under way.

The delays began on Thursday, September 25, the day on which the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport's bill to transform the Civil Aviation Authority into a legal entity under public law was put out for public consultation.

The air traffic controllers, through the president of their central trade union, the Union of Air Traffic Controllers (EEEKE) of the Hellenic Aviation Authority, Panagiotis Psarrou, claim that with the 28 arrivals per hour, “we are essentially making an increased provision to the already increased limit [of flights]”.

In this context, the controllers are calling for...

• the upgrading of the Service’s equipment,
• the recruitment of staff and
• the adaptation of the bill to European regulations

“We simply stopped going overboard, [i.e. serving] as much as we can, which essentially covers up the problem and gives the Service and the Ministry an alibi not to improve it”, Mr. Psarrou points out in his statements to ACTION24.

It is noted that in a Joint Ministerial Decree of the Ministries of National Economy & Finance and Infrastructure & Transport issued in June 2025, for the period from May 1 to October 31 of the years 2025, 2026 and 2027, it was determined for arrivals in Athens that the service of 28 aircraft per hour throughout the day for IFR flights and at least three aircraft per hour for VFR flights, during the hours that the specified and announced schedule by the Flight Coordination Authority requires, while for the night hours between 00:00 - 05:59 local time 22 aircraft per hour. That is, essentially 31 flights per hour, depending on the needs of the traffic.

The decision of the controllers to limit the service of flights has created friction with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. Minister Chr. Dimas said that the gross annual salaries of experienced auditors reach up to 120,000 euros, provoking their reaction. The auditors point out that they are ranked 33rd among 38 European countries and that their salaries are recovered from the fees of the airlines and do not burden the state.

Besides, as Mr. Psarros underlines in his statements to SKAI, if the issues that have been raised are not resolved, “no matter how much extra work we do, no matter how much money Mr. Dimas gives us, the problem will not be solved and the delays in 2028 will be worse than today”.

For its part, the ministry has stated the following...

• on the issue of European regulations | According to statements by the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Christos Dimas, an action plan of 364 points was agreed with the European Commission, DG Move and EASA and is being implemented, one of which is the transformation of the Hellenic Air Traffic Control Authority into a legal entity under public law, so that the service can acquire greater flexibility and more modern administration.
• on recruitment | The first 80 recruitments of air traffic controllers in the Hellenic Air Traffic Control Authority were signed by the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, out of the total of 97 controllers foreseen in the annual planning for 2025.
• on the issue of modernization | According to the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, Mr. Nikos Tahiao, tenders worth 313 million euros are underway for the renewal of equipment and the installation of new radars. In particular, he assured that Thessaloniki airport is completely safe, while aircraft movement on the ground is done with radio aids. There is a radar installed which is currently in the process of being certified by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), while the approach radar will soon be replaced with a new one.

For now, there is no prospect of immediate normalization of air transport. Dozens of flights at Athens airport are experiencing daily delays that in some cases can exceed 30 minutes.

For example, at the "El. Venizelos" airport where 900 flights take place daily, on Sunday 33% of arrivals and 21% of departures were affected, while on Saturday 23% of arrivals and 17% of departures were affected.

For example, on Sunday, out of the 33% of arrivals affected, 9% were delayed by 15 minutes, 10% by 16 to 30 minutes, and 15% by at least 31 minutes. Of the same-day departures affected (21%), 15% were delayed by up to 15 minutes, 5% by 16-30 minutes, and 1% by more than 31 minutes.