Malpensa - Radar block in Northern Italy: air traffic recovering after the technical blackout on Saturday evening - - Varese News

Air traffic in the North-West of the peninsula is slowly returning to normal, after the heavy disruption recorded on the evening of Saturday 28 June , caused by a technical malfunction in the data transmission system of the Milan Area Control Centre , located at Linate airport ( Photo: Aeroportilombardi ).

Over 300 flights were affected by the problem, with thousands of passengers disembarked while waiting for the fault to be resolved. According to what was communicated by Enav, the National Agency for Flight Assistance, the problem – which led to the temporary halt to take-offs and landings at numerous airports – was resolved during the night, thanks to the timely intervention of technical-operational personnel. However, the resumption of activities is still affected by delays and cancellations that are also having repercussions today, Sunday 29 June.

The Aeroportilombardi association reports the situation at Malpensa today : they note some cancellations in the early morning due to the lack of arrival of planes in the last round of machines yesterday. At Malpensa many passengers are queuing at the assistance desks to be able to manage the reprotection on new flights. Many passengers who landed yesterday evening in Venice, Bologna, Pisa, Rome have returned by bus or other means in these hours.

A chaotic evening on the first weekend of the summer exodus

The breakdown occurred at a particularly delicate time: the first weekend of summer, always considered a black weekend for travellers, saw thousands of passengers stranded at the airports of Milan, Turin, Genoa, Bergamo, Florence and Pisa.

Planes already in flight were diverted to alternative airports , while those departing remained grounded. Many passengers spent the night at the airport waiting to be re-protected on other flights or receive assistance from the airlines.

Intervention by authorities and emergency actions

Enav, in a note released shortly before midnight, communicated that "the data transmission and connectivity problem encountered at the Milan Area Control Center has already been resolved" and that air traffic "is gradually returning to full normality".

Meanwhile, in the main airports affected by the blockade - such as Pisa, where several diverted flights landed - there were also logistical difficulties in assisting passengers. According to Toscana Aeroporti, it was not easy to find buses or shuttles to handle the influx of people, due to the night time and high season.

Four radar centers in Italy

The block originated at one of the four Area Control Centers managed by Enav in Italy, namely Milan-Linate. The other centers are located in Padua, Rome-Ciampino and Brindisi-Casale, each responsible for air traffic in a specific sector of national airspace.

The Lombardy center has a key role in managing direct flights departing from the entire North-West quadrant of the country, and it was precisely a slowdown in the data transmission system that triggered the chain of events that blocked air traffic for hours.