Brussels Airport reported a “large impact” on flights, with manual processing causing significant delays in operations
Brussels
A cyberattack on passenger handling systems disrupted check-in and boarding at several major European airports, including London’s Heathrow, Berlin’s Brandenburg, and Brussels Airport, officials said Saturday. The attack on Friday evening affected a service provider that supports multiple airports, forcing staff to operate manual check-in and boarding processes and causing widespread delays.
Brussels Airport described the incident as having a “large impact” on flight schedules. Only manual processing was possible, which slowed operations significantly. Similarly, Berlin authorities said connections to the affected systems were cut off to contain the attack, while Heathrow Airport, Europe’s busiest, reported a “technical issue” linked to its service provider Collins Aerospace. The firm operates check-in and boarding systems for multiple airlines across different airports worldwide.
Airports urged passengers to check flight statuses before travelling. Heathrow apologised for any inconvenience caused and warned that delays might continue as staff worked to restore normal operations. Airline officials said that affected flights could experience boarding delays, but no safety incidents had been reported.
Cybersecurity experts note that attacks on airport systems are increasing, often targeting third-party service providers to disrupt operations across multiple locations. The incident highlights vulnerabilities in aviation infrastructure and raises concerns about the resilience of digital systems supporting critical travel services.
Authorities are investigating the breach while working to restore normal operations. Passengers were advised to allow extra time for check-in and to follow airline updates closely. The attack serves as a reminder of the growing importance of cybersecurity in the aviation sector, where even a single service provider’s systems can affect multiple airports and thousands of travellers.
