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Flights at Greek airports were cancelled or delayed Sunday after a technical problem knocked out airspace radio frequencies, the country's civil aviation authority said, calling the outage "unprecedented".At Greece's main airport, Eleftherios Venizelos in Athens, passengers were stuck in long queues as several domestic and international flights were delayed or grounded altogether, an AFP reporter saw.The radio frequency loss was first reported around 0700 GMT."No plane landed or took off for at least two hours," said the press office at Athens airport, where 31.6mn passengers transited in the first 11 months of 2025.For up to three hours, most aircraft headed for Greek airports were redirected to Turkiye, according to Greek public television ERT.Air traffic had been resuming progressively since 1100 GMT, authorities said.**media[401009]**Panagiotis Psarros, head of Greece's air traffic controller union, called the incident "very serious" and blamed what he said was "obsolete" airport equipment."For some ⁠reason all frequencies were suddenly lost. We could not communicate with aircraft in the sky," the chief of the Association of Greek Air Traffic Controllers, told state broadcaster ERT.The association later said the breakdown affected all frequencies used on the ground, and some frequencies used by Athens Approach, an air traffic control unit responsible for managing aircraft arriving in and departing from Athens's Eleftherios Venizelos airport.Among its responsibilities is radar monitoring for safe separation of aircraft in the sky as well as issuing instructions on speed, and altitude levels.The Air Traffic Controllers Association said controllers were using all means at their disposal to ensure ⁠the safety of flights, calling the scale of Sunday's incident "unprecedented and unacceptable" for an air traffic control system.Psarros said the problem seemed to be a collapse of central radio frequency systems at the Athens and Macedonia area control systems, the largest air control facility in the country.It monitors the Athens Flight Information Region, a vast expanse of airspace under the control of Greek authorities."We haven't been informed about the cause of this problem... certainly the equipment we have is virtually ancient. We have raised this many times in the past," Psarros said. 

The Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Caribbean Aviation Safety and Security Oversight System (CASSOS), aimed at enhancing co-operation in civil aviation.**media[361685]**The MoU was signed by QCAA Acting President Mohammed bin Faleh al-Hajri and CASSOS chairperson Nari Williams-Singh. The signing took place on the sidelines of the CARICOM Forum, held under the theme "Strengthening Regional Co-operation in Aviation Safety and Security for a Sustainable Future for All," in conjunction with the 42nd Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), currently taking place in Montreal, Canada.**media[361686]**The agreement aims to bolster co-operation in various areas, including aviation safety, security, air navigation, and environmental sustainability. It also focuses on capacity building and professional development in the civil aviation sector, contributing to sectoral growth and integration of aviation systems both regionally and globally.**media[361687]**On the sidelines of the assembly, al-Hajri also held bilateral meetings with key international aviation leaders, including Deputy Administrator of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Chris Rocheleau; Director General of the Italian Civil Aviation Authority, Alexander D'Orsogna; and Minister of Transport and Infocommunications of the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam, Pengiran Dato Shamhary Mustapha.The meetings discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in civil aviation, support joint initiatives within ICAO, and exchange views on key issues on the agenda of the 42nd ICAO Assembly.

Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) is participating in the 9th Aviation Africa Summit, organized by the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), currently taking place in Kigali, Rwanda. QCAA Acting President Mohamed Faleh al-Hajri is heading Qatar's delegation to the event, which began Thursday and will continue over two days. The summit addresses several key themes, including the future of the aviation industry in Africa, prospects for sector growth, sustainability, safety, risk assessment, and the challenges facing aviation. It also covers airport development and emerging technologies in the field. In his opening remarks during the 'Regional Cooperation' session, al-Hajri emphasized that the future of aviation in Africa hinges on enhanced co-operation between governments, regulatory bodies, and regional and international organizations. He reaffirmed Qatar's commitment as a strategic partner of AFCACto supporting such co-operation and working with African nations to build capacity and unlock the full potential of the continent’s aviation sector. Al-Hajri also highlighted Qatar's role in supporting Africa’s aviation agenda on the international stage, particularly through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). He noted that the Qatar Airways network of passenger and cargo services plays a vital role in connecting Africa with the rest of the world, significantly contributing to air connectivity, as well as the promotion of trade, tourism, and cultural exchange. He concluded by stressing that Qatar's partnership with AFCAC and civil aviation authorities across African countries reflects not only its commitment to cooperation with the continent, but also its prominent role in shaping the future of global aviation.

Singapore has pledged to strengthen aviation safety practices around in-flight turbulence after two accidents last year that resulted in one fatality and multiple injuries.Severe turbulence will now be classified as a state-level operational safety risk, alongside runway incursions, mid-air collisions and system failures, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said in its Singapore National Aviation Safety Plan for 2025-2027, released on Wednesday.The report identified 45 actions to bolster safety around operational and emerging risk areas. Of the accidents logged by Singapore in 2024, turbulence ranked as the highest. In an earlier safety plan for 2022-2024, turbulence was mentioned mainly in the context of training and operational awareness, not classified as a priority risk area in its own right.In May last year, one person died and scores of passengers suffered serious injuries when a Singapore Airlines Ltd flight from London to Singapore encountered severe turbulence over Myanmar. In September, one passenger and one cabin crew were injured on a Guangzhou-bound flight that ran into turbulence over Hong Kong. Investors continue to probe the cause of the May accident.In the immediate aftermath of that first incident, airlines worked to implement a variety of measures including drilling flight crews on turbulence-related scenarios and enhancing forecasting and detection systems.Midair instability is becoming a more common hazard for carriers and passengers as rising global air traffic density means more planes flying in crowded skies, often through the same storm systems. Climate change is another factor: warming temperatures at cruising altitudes are strengthening jet streams and creating conditions linked to more frequent episodes of so-called “clear-air turbulence.”Some of the recommendations made by CAAS in its latest safety plan were around enhancing the accuracy of meteorological information, improving advance turbulence forecasting and on-board detection systems, sharing real-time turbulence data globally and adopting wider use of modern weather radar and turbulence awareness applications for pilots.“The recent spate of serious aviation safety incidents around the world is a timely reminder that we must stay vigilant and not take safety for granted,” Han Kok Juan, CAAS director-general, said. “The National Aviation Safety Plan is a call to action for the Singapore aviation sector to work together to ensure aviation safety as we position ourselves for growth.”