Reuters
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A cyberattack at a service provider for check-in and boarding systems has disrupted operations at several major European airports including London’s Heathrow, the continent’s busiest, causing flight delays and cancellations on Saturday.
Collins Aerospace, which provides check-in and boarding systems for several airlines across multiple airports globally, is experiencing a technical issue that may cause delays for departing passengers, Heathrow Airport said on Saturday, having warned of delays.
Brussels Airport and Berlin Airport were also affected by the attack, they said in separate statements.
RTX, Collins Aerospace’s parent, said it had become aware of a “cyber-related disruption” to its software in select airports, without naming them.
“The impact is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop and can be mitigated with manual check-in operations,” RTX said in an e-mailed statement, adding that it was working to fix the issue as quickly as possible.
The attack has rendered automated systems inoperable, allowing only manual check-in and boarding procedures, Brussels Airport said on its website, adding the incident had occurred on Friday night.
“This has a large impact on the flight schedule and will unfortunately cause delays and cancellations of flights…The service provider is actively working on the issue and trying to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.”
The airport said that 10 flights had been cancelled so far, with an average delay of one hour for all departing flights.
Passengers with a flight scheduled for Saturday were advised by the affected airports to confirm their travel with airlines before heading to the airport.
Delta Air Lines said it expected minimal impact to flights departing from the three affected airports, adding it had implemented a workaround to minimise disruption.
“Due to a technical issue at a system provider operating across Europe, there are longer waiting times at check-in. We are working on a quick solution,” Berlin Airport said in a banner on its website.
Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s largest, was not affected, a spokesperson said. An official from the operations control center at Zurich Airport also said it had not been impacted.
EasyJet, among Europe’s biggest airlines, said it was currently operating as normal and did not expect the issue to impact its flights for the rest of the day.
Ryanair and British Airways owner IAG did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
There were no indications of threats to Polish airports, deputy prime minister and digital affairs minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said.
British transport minister Heidi Alexander said that she was receiving regular updates on the situation.
