Greek Civil Aviation Authority Chief Resigns

The head of the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA), Giorgos Saounatsos, has resigned following January 4’s air traffic control service outage. That three-hour event brought air traffic in Greece to a standstill and highlighted ongoing critical weaknesses in the system’s resilience.

The Ministry of Transport accepted Saounatsos’ resignation last week, adding that deputy commander of air navigation Giorgos Vagenas “is temporarily assuming the duties of commander, while the process and the procedures for the appointment of a new Commander will be initiated immediately.”

In recognition of what the Association of Greek Air Traffic Controllers has previously condemned as “outdated and underfunded air traffic management infrastructure,” the Greek government has already confirmed that a “comprehensive action plan” is set to be completed by 2028.

A dedicated committee continues to work to clarify the exact cause of a problem believed to be linked to faulty telecommunications infrastructure. On Friday, the Ministry of Transport also announced the formation of a “crisis management team for air navigation and the installation of new transceivers.”

This follows HCAA’s participation in a series of “a series of institutional meetings in Brussels focusing on sector reform and the modernization of Greece’s air navigation systems.”