Italy restored full air traffic capacity on October 16, 2026, after a data network failure earlier in the day forced controllers to sharply reduce capacity, leaving passengers facing delays and cancellations across the country.
Air navigation service provider ENAV said the fault had been repaired and restrictions lifted, with flight schedules gradually returning to normal. At the height of the disruption, ENAV could handle only about half the usual volume of air traffic.
By noon local time, aviation analytics company Cirium had counted 192 flight cancellations across Italy, with much wider disruptions to schedules reported. Only about 31% of departures had left on time, falling to 25% at Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) and 28% at Rome Fiumicino (FCO).
The problems began overnight on the data transmission network supporting air traffic control services throughout Italy. ENAV said backup systems initially allowed controllers to maintain normal operations, but as morning traffic increased and the fault persisted, it introduced restrictions at 06:00 local time.
Controllers relied on a secondary satellite network while technicians worked on the primary connection. That backup kept air traffic control services running but could not support the full volume of flights. ENAV later reported that capacity had increased to 75%, before confirming that the primary network was fully functional and normal capacity had been restored.
The company ruled out malicious activity. It said its air traffic control equipment was functioning normally and identified the problem as a fault in the network carrying data between systems. ENAV said it worked with outside suppliers, including telecommunications company TIM, which manages and maintains the data network, to investigate and resolve the problem.
Passengers at airports serving Rome, Milan and Bergamo were among those most affected. Rome airport operator ADR and Milan airport operator SEA advised travelers to check with their airlines for flight updates.
