Deputy Minister of Transport of Greece Konstantinos Kyrianakisspeaking on a morning television program on Monday (January 5), commented at length failure in aviation communicationswhich led the day before to temporary closure of FIR Athens.
According to him, the cause of the incident was outdated Civil Aviation Authority systemsresponsible for radio communications and reception of aviation frequencies.
“The systems are outdated. We know this – it was in this state that we received them.”Kiryanakis said on the TV channel Action 24emphasizing that much of the equipment was installed decades ago and works on technologies of previous generations.
The Deputy Minister of Transport admitted the obsolescence of systems ΥΠΑ: “They cannot be replaced in 9 months” pic.twitter.com/4jJCUlxSwL
— Athens News (@russianathens) January 5, 2026
He noted that replacement of critical aircraft systems – including radio centers, backup links and air traffic control equipment – is a complex technological and administrative process that impossible to complete within nine months.
Kirianakis explained that during yesterday’s incident there was simultaneous disruption of several frequenciesservicing telecommunication systems necessary for air traffic control. This combination of factors, he said, had no precedents.
In accordance with international aviation safety regulations, we immediately the prescribed protocols have been launchedincluding limiting transactions in the Athens FIR to eliminate any risks to flights.
“All the provided mechanisms worked, safety was put above all else”,” the deputy minister emphasized, adding that there was no direct threat to passengersand the problem has now been completely eliminated.
He also noted that the modernization of aviation infrastructure has already been launched at the level of procedures and planning, however scale of update requires time, approvals and complex replacement of equipment, including backup and redundant communication systems.
The authorities, he said, view yesterday’s failure as serious signalconfirming the need for accelerated but technically verified modernization aviation communication systems and air traffic control.
Karystiana about the chaos in Greek airspace: “Is Tempi already in the air?”
Maria Caristianu, rightly notedWhat awaits Greece with this approach to aviation security? “Tempi and in the air.”
In her statement, she recalled numerous warnings to airport workers to the government about the risk of an aviation accident, which, according to her, are systematically ignored – according to the same logic that was previously applied to the railway.
Karystiana accused the authorities that they consciously choose “a climate of insecurity in transport, international disgrace, fines and legal problems of the country instead of modernizing equipment and applying Safety Regulations.”
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