Cyber attack on major European airports causes flight delays and cancellations

A cyber attack on a key aviation technology provider has caused widespread disruption at several major European airports, including Heathrow, Brussels, and Berlin, with passengers warned to expect delays and cancellations.

The attack targeted Collins Aerospace, a company that supplies check-in and boarding systems to airlines worldwide.

The outage has forced staff at affected airports to switch to manual procedures, significantly slowing down passenger processing.

In a statement, Heathrow Airport said: “Collins Aerospace, which provides check-in and boarding systems for several airlines across multiple airports globally, is experiencing a technical issue that may cause delays for departing passengers.”

The west London hub advised travellers not to arrive more than three hours before a long-haul flight or two hours before a domestic service, and urged passengers to check their flight status before setting off.

Extra staff have been deployed to assist passengers.

Brussels Airport confirmed the incident: “There was a cyber attack on Friday night September 19 against the service provider for the check-in and boarding systems affecting several European airports including Brussels Airport.

“This means that at the moment only manual check-in and boarding is possible. The service provider is actively working on the issue and trying to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.”

It warned the impact on operations would be severe: “This has a large impact on the flight schedule and will unfortunately cause delays and cancellations of flights.”

Berlin Airport reported longer waiting times at check-in due to what it described as “a technical issue at a system provider operating across Europe.” It said staff were “working on a quick solution.”

Airlines and airports across Europe are awaiting further updates as Collins Aerospace works to restore its systems.