Delays expected at Ben Gurion Airport after Greece shuts its airports over radio issue

Israel Airports Authority says airlines working ‘to find alternate routes’ after Greek aviation shutdown, expected to last at least until 4 p.m., empties country’s airspace

The Israel Airports Authority said Sunday that travelers should expect delays after Greece shut down arrivals and departures at all its airports due to unspecified issues affecting radio frequencies.

The IAA said that the Greek shutdown of its airspace was expected to last through at least 4 p.m., and that it would cause delays to both arrivals and departures at Ben Gurion Airport, with flights being rerouted.

Airlines are working “to find alternate routes,” the airports authority added.

Airports across Greece suspended arrivals and departures on Sunday after unspecified issues affecting radio frequencies, Greek state TV and the country’s aviation authority said.

Authorities said they were investigating the cause. Some overflights using the Athens Flight Information Region (FIR) were being serviced but restrictions were in place on airport operations for safety reasons, Greece’s civil aviation authority said.

Flight trackers showed Greek airspace was largely empty. State broadcaster ERT said airport arrivals and departures were suspended at 9 a.m., reporting from a departures terminal at Athens’s Eleftherios Venizelos airport, which was crowded with travelers.

The broadcaster said flights were being diverted to neighboring countries.