Glitch in air traffic control data disrupts Italian airports Friday
Italy's major airports faced a rough Friday after a glitch in the air traffic control data network caused massive travel headaches.
With only 31% of flights leaving on time and 192 flights canceled, travelers at hubs like Milan Malpensa and Rome Fiumicino had to deal with long waits and sudden changes to their plans.
ENAV restores about 75% of operations
ENAV, Italy's air traffic authority, spotted weird issues with its data transmission and quickly put temporary flight restrictions in place.
As of around 1000 GMT, it had managed to restore about 75% of operations using a backup satellite system, but delays lingered.
Airports are urging passengers to check with airlines for updates since disruptions could continue, especially because a 24-hour strike by cabin staff at low-cost airline EasyJet could cause further travel disruptions.