Saturday brought unexpected turmoil to several prominent European airports as a cyberattack targeting critical check-in and boarding systems caused widespread flight delays. Initial reports from two affected airports confirmed the malicious digital intrusion.
The incident specifically impacted departing travelers at three major hubs: Berlin-Brandenburg, Brussels, and London’s Heathrow Airport.
Both Heathrow and Berlin-Brandenburg identified Collins Aerospace, a U.S.-based firm specializing in aviation technology, as the source of the system compromise. Collins Aerospace is a key provider of check-in and boarding infrastructure for numerous airports globally.
RTX, the parent company of Collins Aerospace, issued a statement confirming a ‘cyber-related disruption’ affecting its airport systems. They assured the public that efforts were underway to restore ‘full functionality’ swiftly, noting that airport personnel were able to mitigate some disruption by resorting to manual check-in processes.
Berlin-Brandenburg clarified that the cyberattack specifically targeted Collins Aerospace on Friday evening, emphasizing that the airport itself was not directly attacked.
Iowa-based Collins Aerospace, a leader in aviation and defense technology, confirmed that the issue originated from its MUSE software, a sophisticated passenger processing system. This system is critical, supporting approximately 300 airlines across 100 airports worldwide.
RTX specified that the attack’s effects were confined to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop services.
According to FlightAware, a prominent flight tracking service, the disruption led to significant operational impacts by early Saturday afternoon in Europe. Berlin-Brandenburg reported 101 delays and 5 cancellations, Brussels saw 139 delays and 7 cancellations, and Heathrow experienced 201 delays and 10 cancellations.
At Heathrow’s Terminal 3, scenes of frustration unfolded as staff used megaphones to manage large crowds of passengers. Many were stuck awaiting already delayed flights, while others faced the daunting task of checking in for flights due to depart in mere minutes.
Brussels Airport confirmed that by Saturday, only manual check-in and boarding procedures were operational, anticipating severe repercussions on their flight schedule, including numerous delays and cancellations.
Germany’s third-largest airport, Berlin Brandenburg, announced on its website that a ‘technical issue’ at a Europe-wide system provider was causing extended waiting times at check-in counters.
Nazaneen Ghaffar and Lynsey Chutel contributed reporting.