A technical failure in Italy’s air traffic control network disrupted flights at Brussels Airport on Friday, causing delays of up to two hours and cancelling a Brussels Airlines service to Milan. The incident reduced traffic-handling capacity across Italian airspace and generated knock-on disruption elsewhere in Europe, despite operations remaining safe.
The fault was detected overnight and involved the data-transmission network supporting Italy’s air traffic services. ENAV activated a backup system, but its limited capacity required a reduction in the number of flights handled. By Friday afternoon, operational capacity was running at approximately half of normal levels.
Brussels Airport had 21 scheduled departures to Italy and 21 arrivals from Italian airports. Delays at around midday ranged from 30 minutes to two hours, while the Milan service was cancelled. The airport monitored developments with airlines and the relevant authorities and advised passengers to confirm flight status with their carrier.
ENAV ruled out sabotage and continued investigating the underlying cause. The Italian air navigation provider later reported that full operational capacity had been restored, although disruption from earlier restrictions continued to affect some services.