“NOTAM war” in the Aegean: Greece and Turkey block the same areas, Ankara declares the Greek notice “invalid”

A new round of confrontation between Athens and Ankara is unfolding in the Aegean, this time centered on the successive issuance of air navigation notices (NOTAMs) for military exercises in areas of the Archipelago. The tension began, as NewsOnline reports, after Turkey issued NOTAM A3788/26, through which it sought to block five large areas in the central Aegean for military activities, from September 25 to October 27, 2026. The areas included in the Turkish notice stretch along the 25th meridian and, according to the Greek side, at some points touch or enter Greece’s 10-nautical-mile national airspace.

Athens reacted on two levels. First, it issued a counter-NOTAM, rejecting the Turkish notice on the argument that Ankara has no competence to issue air navigation notices within the Athens FIR. In parallel, the Greek side issued NOTAM A3595/26, blocking two large areas for Greek air-naval exercises from October 12 to 20 — areas that overlap with parts of the Turkish planning areas, creating a new field of confrontation between the two countries.

Ankara responded with a new air notice, A4388/26, claiming it had asked the Greek authorities to change the boundaries of the blocked areas, since according to the Turkish position they coincide with its own military exercise areas in international airspace. After the Greek side refused the request, Turkey unilaterally declared the Greek notice “invalid and without content” (“null and void”), while insisting on the validity of its own notice.

The Greek side rejects the Turkish claims and refers to the rules of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), under which the competence to issue NOTAMs within the Athens FIR belongs to the Greek authorities. Military and diplomatic sources assess that Ankara’s moves are part of the long-standing dispute between Greece and Turkey over competences in the Aegean. Athens is closely following the developments, while the overlapping commitments for military activities keep tension in the Aegean at high levels.