A technical malfunction in Italy’s air traffic control systems on Friday, 16 October 2026, caused widespread flight delays and cancellations at several major airports including Rome Fiumicino and Milan, affecting national air traffic management services.
The fault forced airports and airlines to modify operations as air traffic control capacity was reduced significantly. Aeroporti di Roma (ADR) issued a nationwide advisory warning passengers about potential flight schedule disruptions at Rome’s airports.
Airport Operators and ENAV Response
Milan’s SEA airport operator also communicated expected delays and cancellations to impacted passengers. Both ADR and SEA urged travelers to check with airlines for updated flight information amid the technical
difficulties.
ENAV, Italy’s air navigation service provider, identified the source of the malfunction but did not disclose specific details. The agency confirmed that the disruption was not caused by cyberattack or malicious intent and assured that flight operations remained safe throughout.
Efforts to restore air traffic control capacity included the deployment of a secondary satellite network to increase management capabilities. However, ENAV did not provide a timeline for full restoration of services nor specify the exact number of flights affected.
Passengers experienced delays and cancellations at airports in Rome, Milan, and Bergamo. The incident reduced air traffic control capacity nationwide
and disrupted the scheduling and routing of flights across Italy.
