Hundreds of travellers across Greece are facing protracted waits, missed connections and overnight airport stays as a fresh wave of flight disruption ripples through the country’s busiest hubs. A series of cancellations and delays affecting at least 46 flights and slowing another 166 services has hit Athens, Heraklion, Rhodes and Mytilene, snarling the networks of Aegean Airlines, Olympic Air, Sky Express, KLM and a string of European carriers during one of the first busy travel periods of 2026.

Technical fragility exposed after earlier airspace failure

The latest bout of disruption comes barely a month after a major communications failure in the Athens Flight Information Region forced the temporary shutdown of Greek airspace on 4 January 2026, an incident that grounded or diverted hundreds of flights and left terminals packed with stranded passengers. In that earlier episode, a severe radio frequency malfunction cut voice contact between pilots and air traffic controllers, prompting aviation authorities to sharply reduce capacity while technicians worked to restore the system.

While Greek officials have insisted that safety was never compromised, the January crisis highlighted the vulnerability of the country’s largely analog communications infrastructure and the limited redundancy built into systems that manage one of Europe’s most complex airspaces. Investigations pointed to outdated equipment and patchy maintenance, reigniting long-standing debates about investment in critical aviation technology and staffing levels in control centers.

The current wave of cancellations and delays, though not triggered by a full airspace shutdown, is unfolding against this backdrop of systemic fragility. Industry analysts note that any localised technical glitch, staffing gap or weather disturbance now risks cascading rapidly through Greek airports, where schedules are tightly interlinked and turnaround buffers are often slim, especially for short-haul domestic and regional flights.

Athens at the epicenter as island networks seize up

Athens International Airport, the country’s primary hub, remains the focal point of the disruption. As cancellations and rolling delays accumulate, departure boards at Eleftherios Venizelos have filled with rescheduled departure times and “gate info to follow” notices, leaving passengers queued at service desks or clustered on the floor near power outlets as they wait for clarity.

Because Athens acts as the main interchange between international arrivals and domestic island services, any gridlock at the capital quickly radiates outward. Flights to and from Heraklion on Crete, Rhodes in the Dodecanese and Mytilene on Lesbos have seen a disproportionate share of cancellations and prolonged delays, with afternoon and evening departures suffering as early-morning disruptions compound throughout the day.

On Heraklion’s concourses, airline staff have been juggling last-minute rebookings for passengers whose Athens connections never left the ground, while on Rhodes and Mytilene, regional flights have been turned back, combined or rerouted to prioritise aircraft positioning and crew availability. The result is a patchwork of partial services that has left travellers uncertain whether to remain airside, seek hotels, or attempt alternative routes through other European hubs.

Flag carriers and low-cost rivals scramble to respond

Aegean Airlines, Greece’s largest carrier, has once again borne the brunt of operational strain. The airline, which relies heavily on Athens for both domestic and European connections, has cancelled dozens of services and delayed many more as it works within capacity limits set by air traffic control and airport operators. Olympic Air, which operates a dense network of regional routes on smaller aircraft, has seen knock-on disruption as crews and planes end up out of position around the islands.

Sky Express, another key player in Greece’s domestic market, has faced a high volume of delayed departures, particularly on routes linking Athens with Rhodes, Heraklion and other Aegean gateways. International carriers including KLM, Wizz Air Malta, Ryanair, easyJet and others have also been affected, with inbound flights held on the ground at departure airports or forced into extended holding patterns en route to Greece, further squeezing slot availability.

Airlines have been issuing rolling advisories, urging passengers to check their booking status before leaving for the airport and warning that flight times remain subject to last-minute change. Some have activated flexible rebooking policies, allowing affected travellers to switch to later dates without penalty, while others are prioritising same-day rerouting via alternative hubs, particularly for long-haul passengers who risk missing onward connections.

Passengers stranded between terminals, hotels and ferries

For travellers on the ground, the numbers translate into disrupted holidays, broken itineraries and mounting expenses. At Athens and Heraklion, hotel desks report a surge in last-minute check-ins from passengers unable to secure same-day rebookings, with some families told they could be waiting up to 24 hours for replacement flights to popular islands.

On Rhodes and Mytilene, where accommodation stock is more limited in winter, many travellers have opted to remain in the terminal overnight, laying out jackets and blankets along quiet stretches of floor. With staff carefully rationing meal and refreshment vouchers, some passengers have resorted to paying out of pocket for food and taxis, in the hope of later reimbursement through airline claims or travel insurance.

Others have looked to the sea for an escape route. Ferry operators in Piraeus and on several islands have reported an uptick in last-minute bookings from passengers switching to maritime transport for at least one leg of their journey, especially on the Athens to Crete and Athens to Lesbos routes. While ferries provide a safety valve, their slower schedules and limited capacity mean they cannot fully offset the withdrawal of dozens of flights in a single day.

As frustration grows, attention has turned to what compensation and assistance stranded passengers are entitled to. Under European air passenger rights regulations, travellers departing from EU airports or flying on EU carriers may be eligible for care, reimbursement of reasonable expenses and, in some cases, fixed compensation when flights are cancelled or heavily delayed.

Eligibility hinges on the precise cause of the disruption. Where airlines can point to extraordinary circumstances outside their control, such as certain technical failures in national air traffic systems or external security issues, they may avoid paying fixed compensation even though they must still offer rebooking or refunds and basic care. If, however, delays or cancellations stem from factors within the carrier’s sphere, such as crew rostering or aircraft maintenance, financial compensation is more likely to apply.

Consumer advocates are already warning that the boundary between systemic failures in Greece’s aviation infrastructure and day-to-day airline operations is becoming increasingly blurred. They advise passengers to carefully document their experience, retain all receipts for meals, hotels and alternative transport, and submit formal claims to their airline, escalating complaints to national enforcement bodies if responses are slow or incomplete.

Structural strains: staffing, aging systems and growing demand

The turmoil now unfolding at Greek airports does not exist in a vacuum. In recent years, both national carriers and foreign airlines have repeatedly flagged chronic constraints in the country’s aviation ecosystem, from staffing shortages in air traffic control to overloaded summer schedules that leave little margin for error when something goes wrong.

Reports in 2025 and 2026 have highlighted how bottlenecks in the Athens control center have contributed to a disproportionate share of delays across the wider European network, with Greece at times accounting for a significant slice of all en route holdups in the region. Budget airlines in particular have complained that their passengers are paying the price for what they characterise as long-delayed reforms and underinvestment in modern air traffic management systems.

Greek authorities, for their part, have promised to accelerate upgrades following the January communications failure, with plans to phase out older analog components, enhance redundancy and step up recruitment and training for air traffic personnel. Yet such changes will take time to implement, and industry observers caution that intermittent disruption is likely to remain a feature of Greek air travel during the transition period.

Tourism industry braces for reputational damage

Beyond the immediate inconvenience to travellers, there are growing concerns about the reputational cost to Greece’s tourism sector, a cornerstone of the national economy. While the latest wave of disruptions has occurred outside the peak summer season, it is already shaping perceptions among early-year visitors and those planning trips later in 2026.

Hoteliers, tour operators and cruise companies have expressed unease that recurring headlines about airspace shutdowns and airport chaos could deter some visitors or push them to choose rival Mediterranean destinations perceived as more reliable. Travel agents report that clients are increasingly asking detailed questions about how easily they can reroute or switch dates if flights to Greek islands are cancelled at short notice.

Industry bodies are urging close coordination between airlines, airports and tourism authorities to reassure would-be visitors that Greece remains accessible, and to establish clearer protocols for handling mass disruption events. Proposals include pre-arranged blocks of hotel rooms for stranded passengers, streamlined refund processes and joint communication campaigns highlighting both infrastructure upgrades and contingency plans.

What travellers should do if flying to or from Greece now

For those with imminent travel to or from Greece, preparation and flexibility are becoming essential. Travellers are being advised to monitor their flight status closely through airline channels, sign up for text and app alerts, and allow additional time at the airport in case of shifting gate assignments, extended security queues or last-minute schedule changes.

Experts recommend travelling with a buffer for critical connections, such as onward long-haul flights or cruise departures, and where possible avoiding tight same-day transfers between international arrivals and domestic island hops. Booking the first flight of the day, when aircraft and crews are most likely to be in position, can also reduce exposure to knock-on delays.

Passengers already in Greece whose flights have been cancelled or significantly delayed should contact their airline before making independent arrangements and should request written confirmation of the disruption and its cause. Keeping detailed records of conversations, boarding passes and any additional costs incurred will prove crucial when seeking reimbursements or compensation later.

As Greece works to stabilise its aviation systems and restore confidence after a bruising start to the year, travellers can expect a more unpredictable environment than usual. For now, hundreds remain stuck in terminals from Athens to Mytilene, watching departure boards and hoping that the next update finally brings a confirmed departure time rather than another delay.