According to the experts« report, the »blackout« in the Athens FIR on Sunday, January 4, 2026, was caused by »digital noise", which was caused due to modernization in a number of heterogeneous devices/interfaces that end at the KEPATHM facilities, resulting in the unintentional activation/continuous transmission of a critical number of transmitters and the degradation/interruption of critical telecommunication links.
At the same time, it is noted that no evidence of cyber-attack or external malicious interference has been found.
The full restoration, as stated in the report, which was submitted today to the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Christos Dimas, was achieved following a re-synchronisation/restart following the re-routing of traffic on the core network.
According to the announcement of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, it is noted, among other things, that for reasons of flight safety, a full capacity restriction (zero rate) was imposed and emergency procedures were applied. The restoration of services was gradual, with full restoration taking place at 16:53 local time, following a voluntary action by the telecommunications provider.
Based on the ECCAIRS reports and the APA's assessment, the Incident was classified as a low risk (Green Area), with no reported minimum separation violation. In addition, no evidence of cyber-attack or exogenous malicious interference was found.
The chapter on Aviation Safety Issues states that no aviation safety issue in the sense of aircraft exposure to direct or indirect risk was identified.
In its finding, the Commission points out that the CAA's existing Voice Communication System (VCS) and critical telecommunications infrastructure used to support it are based on obsolete technology (SDH - Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) that is out of support from the manufacturer, with no possibility of providing meaningful operational guarantees.
In its conclusion, the Special Committee makes the following recommendations:
1) accelerate the transition to VoIP (Voice over IP) technology, by completing the procurement - installation and commissioning of the new VCS/RCS (Voice Communication System / Radio Communication System) and 495 new transceivers,
2) Establishment of a stable joint CAA-OTE rapid response mechanism and standardised crisis procedures with testing/training under the supervision of the CAA,
3) telemetry/tele-management enhancement and the ability to perform end-to-end diagnostic checks at key points,
4) enhanced spectrum monitoring by EETT for early detection of interference/anomalies; and
5) relocation of the KEPATHM facilities to a more suitable environment, with the aim of reducing systemic operational risks and dependencies in order to ensure the uninterrupted and safe provision of air navigation services.
In the Investigation Committee of the incident under the Governor of the Civil Aviation Authority Christos Tsitouras, participated as members: the Commander of the National Cyber Security Authority Michael Bletsas, Colonel Dimitrios Zampakolas, Communications Engineer of the General Staff of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the Deputy Director of Spectrum Supervision of the National Telecommunications and Postal Commission (EETT) Nikos Igoumenidis, a representative of EUROCONTROL (European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation), while a representative of EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) participated as an observer.
The Commission identified the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE) as the bodies involved, from which it requested and received an official report on their actions, and assessed the information received from interviews with executives of the two organisations.
The conclusion is attached
