European skies were plunged into disarray on Saturday as a significant cyberattack crippled check-in and boarding systems across several major airports, including London’s Heathrow, one of the continent’s busiest travel hubs. The technical meltdown, which began Friday evening, caused widespread flight delays and disruptions that persisted throughout the day.
At least five airports — Berlin-Brandenburg, Brussels, Dublin, Cork in Ireland, and Heathrow — reported that departing passengers were severely affected. The root of the problem was identified as Collins Aerospace, an American company specializing in aviation technology, which provides the crucial check-in and boarding systems used by numerous airports.
RTX, Collins Aerospace’s parent company, confirmed the “cyber-related disruption” in a statement, assuring the public that efforts were underway to restore full system functionality. In the interim, airport staff were advised to revert to manual check-in procedures, an often time-consuming alternative.
The impact was immediately visible. At Heathrow’s Terminal 3, staff members used megaphones to direct growing crowds of frustrated passengers. Many travelers found themselves still waiting to check in for flights scheduled to depart moments later. By early evening in London, departures were experiencing an average delay of 34 minutes.
Heathrow advised passengers to arrive no more than three hours before a long-haul flight and two hours for domestic flights, acknowledging the anticipated processing slowdowns. Berlin-Brandenburg, Germany’s third-largest airport, clarified that the cyberattack was not directed at the airport itself but at its service provider.
Eurocontrol, Europe’s primary air-traffic-control manager based in Brussels, confirmed that the software issue had not affected the broader air traffic control network, but the impact on individual airports was severe. Collins Aerospace’s affected MUSE software, a passenger-processing system, supports approximately 300 airlines across 100 airports worldwide. RTX stated that the disruption specifically targeted electronic check-in and baggage drop services.
By early evening across Europe, the extent of the disruption was clear: Heathrow reported 445 delays and 18 cancellations, Brussels saw 254 delays and 21 cancellations, while Berlin-Brandenburg experienced 202 delays and two cancellations. These figures encompassed both arriving and departing flights, with arrivals accounting for roughly 40% of delays at Heathrow, 44% at Brussels, and 35% at Berlin-Brandenburg.
Brussels Airport described its check-in operations as “heavily disrupted,” leading to a forced reliance on manual processes and prompting a request to airlines to cancel half of all departing flights until Monday morning. Eurocontrol pledged to actively monitor the situation and coordinate with partners to manage the ongoing challenges.
Dublin Airport also reported “minor impacts,” as did Cork Airport, Ireland’s second-largest. Dublin experienced average departure delays of over an hour, with 272 total delays by early evening. It remains unclear if these delays were solely due to the software issue or exacerbated by a 90-minute security evacuation of Terminal 2.
Britain’s National Cyber Security Center and Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander confirmed they were collaborating with Collins Aerospace and the Department for Transport to assess the incident’s full scope.
This incident adds to a growing list of recent cyberattacks impacting critical infrastructure. Last December, Japan Airlines faced flight delays following a cyberattack. In June, Columbia University experienced a widespread computer system shutdown and data theft due to a “hacktivist” attack. American cities, including St. Paul, Minnesota, have also been targeted, with the governor activating the National Guard in response to a July incident.