Cyberattack disrupts operations at major European airports, including Heathrow

A cyberattack targeting a service provider for check-in and boarding systems has disrupted flights at major European airports, including London’s Heathrow.

A systems provider for global airlines, Collins Aerospace, has reported a “technical issue” that also affected airports in Brussels and Berlin. A few hours later, Dublin Airport and Ireland's second largest Cork Airport said they were also experiencing minor impact from the incident.

Heathrow warned of delays and informed customers to check their flight status before coming to the airport.

“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,” the airport said in a statement.

“While the provider works to resolve the problem quickly, we advise passengers to check their flight status with their airline before travelling. Please arrive no earlier than three hours before a long-haul flight or two hours before a domestic flight.”

Heathrow added that additional colleagues in check-in areas are available to help minimize disruption.

Brussels Airport explained the issue in more detail, saying that a cyberattack on their service provider on Friday night left only manual check-in and boarding possible.

“There was a cyber-attack on Friday night 19 September against the service provider for the check-in and boarding systems affecting several European airports, including Brussels airport. This means that at the moment only manual check-in and boarding is possible,” Brussels Airport said on its website.

“The service provider is actively working on the issue and trying to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. This has a large impact on the flight schedule and will unfortunately cause delays and cancellations of flights.”

Brussels Airport also advised its customers to check the status of their flight with their airline and avoid travelling to the airport if the flight is cancelled.

Berlin Airport has made similar recommendations, saying: “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.”

Flight cancellations

According to aviation data provider Cirium cited by Reuters, 29 departures and arrivals have been cancelled so far at Heathrow, Berlin, and Brussels. Brussels Airport had experienced 10 flight cancellations, with an average delay of one hour.

"This has a large impact on the flight schedule and will unfortunately cause delays and cancellations," it said.

Some big airlines, however, are reportedly experiencing minimal impact, including Delta Air Lines and EasyJet, which are currently operating as normal, according to Reuters.

While British transport minister Heidi Alexander said she was being regularly updated on the situation, Poland’s deputy prime minister and digital affairs minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said that Polish airports were seemingly not affected.

Germany’s largest airport, Frankfurt Airport, was also reportedly not affected.