ATHENS – Turkish military aircraft on Friday repeatedly violated Greek airspace and flew over the islands of Panagia and Oinousses, the Hellenic National Defence General Staff (HNDGS) announced.

According to the latest HNDGS press release, a pair of Turkish F-16s again entered the Athens Flight Information Region (FIR) without submitting flight plans on Friday, flying over Oinousses at 31,000 feet at 14:14. After 45 minutes, another pair of Turkish F-16s also entered the Athens FIR without submitting flight plans and again flew over Oinousses and Panagia at 30,000 feet, then again over Oinousses four minutes later and over Panagia one minute later, at the same altitude.

This was the sixth overflight above Oinousses and the fourth over Panagia on Friday, while Turkish F-16s and F-4s also flew over the islands of Agathonissi and Anthropofagoi earlier the same day.

According to HNDGS, two F-16s had also flown over Oinousses and Panagia at 12:47, at a height of 21,000 feet, and another pair of the same aircraft had entered the Athens FIR at 13:31 and flown over Agathonissi at 30,000 feet. Three minutes later, two F-4s had entered the Athens FIR and flown over Anthropofagoi at 11,000 feet.

The last two islands are both protected Natura 2000 areas.

HNDGS earlier announced that Turkish fighter planes also flew over Panagia and Oinousses at 17,000 and 19,000 feet, respectively, at the time of 10:56 and then returned half an hour later, at 11:25, to fly over Oinousses at 33,000 feet.

The Turkish aircraft were in each case identified and intercepted by Greek fighter planes, in accordance with international rules and standard practice.