Update (09:05 UTC, 16 October 2026): In a second statement on Friday, ENAV confirmed that its operational capacity currently stands at 50% of total air traffic. The provider said it is now using alternative data transmission systems and that, despite the network anomalies, it kept as many morning departures as possible operating, including intercontinental flights. ENAV said it is deploying all available resources to keep disruption to a minimum and restore full operations as soon as possible, with safety remaining its absolute priority. It has still not given a time for full restoration or a detailed cause.
Earlier update (08:08 UTC): ANSA and Il Sole 24 Ore first reported the capacity cut of around 50%. Lombardy airports including Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate and Bergamo Orio al Serio reported delays of up to two hours on some departures.
Air traffic across Italy was running at reduced capacity on Friday morning, 16 October 2026, after a fault in the data network that supports the country's air traffic control services forced the national air navigation service provider, ENAV, to introduce flow restrictions. Flights were cancelled and delayed at several of Italy's busiest airports, including Rome Fiumicino, Milan Linate, Milan Malpensa and Naples.
ENAV said the problem was technical and stressed that it was not caused by a cyberattack or sabotage.
What ENAV has said
According to ENAV's statement, anomalies were detected during the night between Thursday and Friday on the geographical data transmission network that supports air traffic control services across the whole of the country. Planned contingency systems were activated, and ENAV said this allowed it to keep managing traffic normally, without any reduction in operational capacity, until 06:00 local time (04:00 UTC) on Friday.
From 06:00, with traffic building up through the morning and the anomalies still present, ENAV introduced flow management measures "to continue to ensure maximum operational safety". In practice, that means a temporary reduction in the number of aircraft controllers can handle in Italian airspace, which translates into departure slots, holding and delays for airlines.
ENAV said its technical investigations, which were still under way, had traced the source of the faults to the data transmission network. The company said it was working to identify the exact causes and to restore its systems to full operational capacity. It explicitly ruled out that the faults were linked to malicious activity.
Cancellations and delays at the airports
At Rome Fiumicino, Italy's largest airport, flights to and from Milan Linate, Riyadh, Tirana and Trieste had been cancelled by Friday morning, according to la Repubblica, while around 20 other flights were running between 15 and 60 minutes late.
Euronews reported delays and cancellations at Milan Linate, Milan Malpensa and Naples Capodichino as well.
Aeroporti di Roma, which runs Fiumicino, urged travellers to check the status of their flight directly with their airline and warned that the nationwide technical problem could cause further delays and cancellations during the day.
Why a network fault slows the whole sky
Modern air traffic control depends on a constant flow of data between radar sites, control centres and airports. When part of that network becomes unreliable, controllers can still work safely using backup systems, but with less capacity, so fewer flights are allowed into each sector at a time.
The timing made the problem harder to absorb. ENAV said the contingency systems were enough during the quiet overnight hours, but as the morning departure wave built up from 06:00, capacity had to be cut. Friday is also a busy day for Italian aviation for another reason: easyJet flight crew in Italy are holding a 24-hour strike on 16 October, adding to the pressure on travellers.
What passengers should do
Anyone flying to, from or over Italy on Friday should check their booking with the airline before heading to the airport and allow extra time. Knock-on delays can last into the evening even after a fault is fixed, because aircraft and crews end up out of position.
ENAV has not yet said when full capacity will be restored. This article will be updated when there is more verified information.
Sources: ENAV statements (enav.it), ANSA, Il Sole 24 Ore, la Repubblica, Euronews, aero.de.
Comments
Loading comments…