Italy's air traffic control network failure cut flights by half and caused nationwide delays before being fixed

Italy's air navigation company ENAV reduced aircraft permitted in Italian airspace to half the usual level after an overnight fault struck the data transmission network that underpins the country's air traffic control services. Hundreds of flights were delayed or cancelled at airports including Rome's Fiumicino, Milan and Bergamo. ENAV ruled out a cyberattack, with technicians tracing the problem to the data transmission network itself. The fault was later reported to have been resolved.

Until 6am, ENAV kept flights running normally on backup systems, but as traffic built and the fault continued, capacity was cut sharply.

Intercontinental services were among those given priority during the disruption, with ENAV throwing every available resource at restoring normal operations.

Throughout the crisis, the company was clear that flight safety had not been put at risk at any point.