On October 16, 2026, faults detected during the night between Thursday and Friday in the data transmission network supporting air traffic control services caused disruptions across multiple major Italian airports. ENAV, the national air navigation service provider, announced that from 6:00 AM flow management measures were introduced to temporarily reduce the capacity to handle aircraft in Italian airspace.
Disruptions at Major Airports Include Flight Cancellations and Delays
Disruptions and delays affected Rome Fiumicino, Milan Linate, Milan Malpensa, and Naples Capodichino airports. At Rome Fiumicino airport, at least four flights were cancelled on routes to Milan Linate, Riyadh, Tirana, and Trieste. Flight delays up to 60 minutes were reported across
multiple airports.
ENAV ruled out any link between the faults and hacker attacks or sabotage, confirming the problem was technical in nature.
ENAV Emphasizes Safety and Ongoing Fault Investigation
ENAV reported that normal management of air traffic, without reduction in operating capacity, was maintained until 6:00 AM on Friday. Subsequently, flow management measures were introduced to ensure operational safety amid the persistence of faults and increasing air traffic.
The agency is actively investigating the causes of the faults and working to restore full system operations across Italian airspace.
