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Cyberattack disrupts airport operations in London, Brussels, other European countries
Brussels Airport said in a statement that the attack made only manual check-in and boarding possible and was having a “large impact” on flight schedules.
Airport operations of many European countries were hit on Saturday after an a cyberattack snarled air traffic and caused delays in flight operations. According to officials, the cyberattack targeted check-in and boarding systems.
Several airports across Europe issued statements advising travellers to check their flight status and apologising for any inconvenience.
Brussels Airport said in a statement that the attack meant that only manual check-in and boarding were possible there, and the incident was having a “large impact” on flight schedules.
“There was a cyberattack on Friday night, 19 September, against the service provider for the check-in and boarding systems affecting several European airports, including Brussels Airport,” the statement read.
Authorities at Berlin’s Brandenburg Airport said a service provider for passenger handling systems was attacked on Friday evening, prompting airport operators to cut off connections to the systems.
Europe’s busiest airport, London Heathrow, called it “a technical issue” that affected a service provider for check-in and boarding systems.
“, 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 said in a statement.
The impact was felt only at some airports: the Roissy, Orly and Le Bourget airports in the Paris area of France reported no disruptions.
More about the affected service provider
Collins Aerospace was formed in 2018 and is a US aviation and defence technology company and a subsidiary of RTX Corp., which was formerly Raytheon Technologies.
The company's system doesn’t offer direct check-in for passengers but provides technology that allows passengers to check themselves in, print boarding passes and bag tags, and dispatch their own luggage, all from a kiosk.
"We have become aware of a cyber-related disruption to our MUSE software in select airports. The impact is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop and can be mitigated with manual check-in operations," the aerospace firm said in a statement to news agency AFP.
