Italy’s air navigation company, ENAV, announced a 50% reduction in air traffic capacity across the country on Friday following overnight technical failures within the data transmission network that supports national air traffic control services. While the company confirmed that contingency systems allowed for normal operations until 6 a.m., the persistence of the network issues as traffic volumes increased necessitated the introduction of measures to regulate flight flows.
ENAV stated that it is currently utilizing alternative data transmission systems to facilitate as many departures as possible, including intercontinental flights, while maintaining the reduced 50% capacity cap. The disruption has triggered delays at various airports throughout Italy, with significant impacts reported at Rome’s Fiumicino airport as well as facilities serving Milan and Bergamo.
Technical teams are currently deploying all available resources to address the anomalies within the network and restore full operational capacity. ENAV has explicitly ruled out a cyberattack or any malicious activity, emphasizing that despite the capacity restrictions and resulting delays, flight operations remain safe.
