Cyberattack unlikely in communications failure that grounded flights in Greece

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s government on Monday said that a major radio communications failure that shut the country’s airspace a day earlier is unlikely to have been a cyberattack, though the cause remains under investigation.

Flights across Greece were grounded, diverted or delayed for several hours Sunday after noise was reported on multiple air traffic communication channels.

“There is not the slightest indication that we are dealing with a cyberattack," government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said. "I need to make that clear.”

The Greek Civil Aviation Authority said that noise across all channels, including backup systems, triggered the shutdown, which lasted several hours before operations were gradually restored.

Incoming flights were diverted to several countries in the region, creating a large backlog and leaving thousands of passengers stranded.

The Brussels-based European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation, widely known as Eurocontrol, assisted in redirecting flights during and following the outage and said that about 120 flights were grounded Sunday at Greece’s two largest airports in Athens and Thessaloniki.

The impact from the disruption lasted through early Monday, the agency said.

Greece's Air Traffic Controllers’ Association said the outage underscored its long-standing calls to modernize and replace outdated equipment.

A judicial inquiry and an internal investigation were launched Monday into the cause of the outage.

Separately, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Christos Dimas announced the formation of an investigative committee that includes representatives from civil aviation authorities, the Greek air force, Eurocontrol and a Greek state-run cyberdefence agency.

The minister described Sunday's disruption as “a very serious incident,” but stressed that passenger safety was never at risk.

A flight information board is pictured in detail inside Athens' Eleftherios Venizelos international airport in Athens, Greece, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, as many flights were disrupted across Greece. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)

Passengers check a flight information board outside Athens' Eleftherios Venizelos international airport in Athens, Greece, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, as many flights were disrupted across Greece. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)

Passengers check a flight information board inside Athens' Eleftherios Venizelos international airport in Athens, Greece, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, as many flights were disrupted across Greece. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)

Passengers make their way to Athens' Eleftherios Venizelos international airport in Athens, Greece, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, as many flights were disrupted across Greece. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)

SEATTLE (AP) — Kaapo Kakko had two goals and an assist, Berkly Catton scored his first two NHL goals, and the Seattle Kraken beat the Boston Bruins 7-4 on Tuesday night.

Jared McCann had a goal and an assist, and Jordan Eberle and Ben Meyers also scored as Seattle extended its point streak to nine games (8-0-1) — the second-longest in franchise history. Matty Beniers, Vince Dunn and Freddy Gaudreau each had two assists, and Joey Daccord finished with 32 saves.

David Pastrnak scored two goals, Viktor Arvidsson had a goal and an assist, and Mason Lohrei also scored for the Bruins. Jeremy Swayman had 20 saves.

Meyers scored with 1:37 left in the second period to put Seattle ahead 3-2, and McCann made it 4-2 with a power-play goal a half-second before the end of the period.

Kakko made it 5-2 midway through the third period, and Catton followed with his second goal of the night with 5:40 left — one period after logging his first career goal on a play that saw Kakko record his 100th career assist.

Lohrei and Arvidsson scored less than 3 minutes apart to pull the Bruins within two, but Kakko sealed it with an empty-netter with 12 seconds remaining.

Eberle opened the night’s scoring at 8:50 of the first period, after Seattle drew nearly two full minutes of 5-on-3 action. The goal was Eberle’s team-leading 15th of the season.

The Bruins toed it nearly 4 minutes later when Nikita Zadorov ripped a pass from deep inside his own defensive zone and Pastrnak beat everybody down the ice to collect the puck off the end boards before beating Daccord.

Catton put the Kraken back ahead at 2:48 of the second, before Pastrnak tied it again into a wide-open net off a feed from Charlie McAvoy at 6:28.

Bruins: Host Calgary on Thursday night.

Kraken: Host Minnesota on Thursday night.

AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/NHL

Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak moves the puck against Seattle Kraken center Frederick Gaudreau, right, during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Kraken left wing Jared McCann (19) celebrates with defenseman Vince Dunn (29) after scoring against the Boston Bruins during the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Kraken right wing Kaapo Kakko scores an empty net goal against the Boston Bruins during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Kraken center Berkly Catton flicks the puck while facing the Boston Bruins during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)