Brussels Airport faced significant operational challenges, canceling half of its scheduled Monday departures. This marked the third consecutive day of technical issues with check-in systems, following a widespread cyberattack that initially crippled several major European airports over the weekend.
Sunday’s announcement from Brussels Airport followed similar reports from other key travel centers, including Berlin-Brandenburg, Dublin, and Heathrow. These airports had also experienced severe disruptions to their check-in and boarding procedures due to the same cyberattack.
As the airport most heavily impacted, Brussels Airport took the drastic step of canceling flights. Officials stated they could not confirm that the critical software governing check-in and boarding systems had been fully restored and secured after the breach.
Reports from the Associated Press, based on airport data, indicated that Monday’s cancellations would affect approximately 140 out of 276 planned departures.
An airport spokesperson urged passengers to verify their flight status before traveling to the airport, emphasizing that arrival should only occur if their flight was definitively confirmed.
Both Brussels and other impacted airports attributed the widespread disruption to a cyberattack targeting Collins Aerospace, an American firm specializing in airport check-in and boarding systems. This incident resulted in significantly longer wait times for departing travelers.
RTX, Collins Aerospace’s parent company, did not issue an immediate statement on Sunday. However, a Saturday statement acknowledged that the cyberattack had compromised their systems at several airports, assuring customers that efforts were underway to restore full functionality swiftly. RTX also suggested that airports could temporarily manage operations by resorting to manual check-in procedures.
Throughout the weekend, Brussels Airport’s operations were severely hampered by the cyberattack, necessitating a complete switch to manual processes for all passenger check-ins and boarding.
The full extent of Monday’s disruptions remained uncertain. London’s Heathrow Airport, a major hub, confirmed in a Monday morning email that while most flights were operating as scheduled, some check-in and boarding processes might experience slight delays.
Collins Aerospace, headquartered in Iowa, is a key player in aviation and defense technology. Its parent company, RTX, clarified in their Saturday statement that the cyber incident specifically impacted their MUSE software, a passenger-processing system widely adopted by approximately 300 airlines across 100 airports globally.
RTX emphasized that the cyberattack’s effects were confined to electronic check-in and baggage drop services.
This incident adds to a growing list of cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure, including major airports and academic institutions. For instance, last December, Japan Airlines experienced flight delays due to a cyberattack. Similarly, in June, Columbia University reported a sophisticated “hacktivist” attack that shut down its computer systems and compromised student data, seemingly for political motives.
Additional reporting was contributed by Johnny Diaz and Claire Moses.