On 16 October 2026, Italy’s air traffic control network experienced a major data transmission fault, disrupting air navigation services across the country and forcing reductions in flight handling capacity.
Flow Management Measures Reduce Capacity by 50%
Due to ongoing technical issues and a steady rise in air traffic, ENAV—the Italian air navigation agency—implemented flow management procedures starting at 6:00 AM that temporarily cut aircraft handling capacity by up to 50% to maintain operational safety.
Flight Cancellations and Delays at Major Airports
Rome Fiumicino Airport reported cancellations of at least four flights destined for Milan Linate, Riyadh, Tirana, and Trieste. Additionally, multiple other flights experienced delays of up to 60 minutes.
Similar delays and cancellations
affected Milan Linate, Milan Malpensa, and Naples Capodichino airports during the same period, impacting various routes and flight schedules.
ENAV Confirms No Cyberattack; System Restored via Secondary Satellite Network
ENAV ruled out any connection between the fault and cyberattacks or sabotage, confirming the disruption was caused by an issue in the data transmission network identified during the night preceding 16 October.
The agency stated: “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.” ENAV worked to isolate the fault source and restore full operational capacity by switching later on Friday to a secondary satellite network.
This switch allowed air traffic handling to return to normal levels by the afternoon of 16 October, concluding the temporary disruption.
