Air travel across Europe continues to be affected by a significant cyberattack that originated on Friday. Brussels Airport in Belgium has been particularly impacted, requesting airlines to cancel almost half of their scheduled outbound flights for Monday.
While airports in Berlin and London Heathrow had seen improvements by Sunday, passengers at several major European hubs are still facing delays and cancellations. The disruption stems from an attack on the automatic check-in and boarding software managed by Collins Aerospace, a key service provider.
Collins Aerospace has stated that they are in the final stages of implementing necessary software updates. However, Brussels Airport has noted that their service provider is actively working on resolving the issue, with no clear timeline for a full restoration of services.
As a consequence, Brussels Airport has asked airlines to cancel approximately 140 of the 276 flights planned for Monday. This situation underscores the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to cyber threats.
London Heathrow reported ongoing efforts to restore full functionality on Sunday, apologizing to affected passengers. They emphasized that most flights were still operating and advised travelers to verify their flight status before heading to the airport. It’s understood that about half of the airlines operating from Heathrow had some level of system restoration by Sunday, with British Airways utilizing a backup system since Saturday.
A spokesperson for Berlin Airport indicated that some airlines were resorting to manual boarding procedures, and there was no firm estimate for when the electronic systems would be fully operational again.
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre confirmed it is collaborating with Collins Aerospace, affected airports, the Department for Transport, and law enforcement agencies to assess the full impact of the incident. The UK Transport Secretary is actively monitoring the situation and receiving regular updates.
The European Commission is also closely observing the cyberattack, though initial assessments suggest it has not been widespread or severe across the continent. This incident highlights a growing trend, with a recent report indicating a 600% increase in cyberattacks targeting the aviation sector over the past year.