Up to half of all flights departing from Italian airports departing Friday Oct. 16, have been cancelled due to a technical fault. Italy’s air navigation service provider Enav says the fault stems from an issue with its data transmission network. The company clarified that it does not believe the fault, which primarily affected air traffic controllers, to be the result of malicious activity.
What Caused the Fault?
Enav has said that it first became aware of anomalies in its data transmission network used by Italy’s air traffic controllers in the early hours of the morning Oct. 16.
Technicians were able activate a network of contingency systems which enabled normal operations to continue until 6am local time.
After this time, the rising number of scheduled aircraft departures meant that restrictions had to be put in place, to ensure air traffic controllers could work safely and effectively.
Enav, which is controlled directly by the Italian government, said that,
“From 6:00, in view of the steady increase in air traffic and the persistence of the faults. In order to continue guaranteeing the highest level of operational safety, flow management measures have been introduced, which mean a temporary reduction in the capacity to handle aircraft in Italian airspace.”
The company also said it was certain that no malicious activity was involved with the fault.
Who Has Been Impacted?
Reports suggest that close to 200 flights from Italian airports had been cancelled by 11am local time.
The worst affected airports included Italy’s busiest airport Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci International Airport (FCO), and second busiest airport Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP).
An estimated 28% of flights departed from FCO on-time on the morning of Oct, 16, compared to 25% from MXP, and 31% nationally.
Aeroporti di Roma, the company which manages several airports in Rome, including FCO, said that,
“due to technical issues affecting air traffic control systems nationwide, flight delays and cancellations may occur.”
Enav meanwhile has said that it has restored Italy’s air traffic control systems to 75% of operational capacity.
Have you been caught up in the disruption? How should service providers protest fliers from technical faults? Let us know what you think in the comments.
