Heathrow Airport was among several European airports hit by delays on Saturday following a cyber-attack that affected electronic check-in and baggage systems. This incident prompted significant disruption with many flights delayed due to a technical issue affecting software provided to several airlines.
Brussels Airport also reported a similar cyber-attack on Friday night, which forced manual check-in and boarding processes for passengers, adding to the chaos. Berlin's Brandenburg Airport noted longer waiting times due to the same issue.
RTX, the parent company of software provider Collins Aerospace, acknowledged a cyber-related disruption in select airports and is working to resolve the issues as quickly as possible. The disruption primarily impacted customer check-in and baggage drop systems, although manual operations were implemented to mitigate the effects.
While British Airways continued operating normally using a backup system, most other airlines operating out of Heathrow were affected. By late Saturday, Heathrow officials confirmed they were working to resolve and recover from the outage, apologizing for the delays but asserting that the majority of flights continued to operate normally.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is in coordination with Collins Aerospace, affected airports, the Department for Transport, and law enforcement agencies to understand the full scope and implications of the cyber-attack. The European Commission is monitoring the situation and reported no indications of the attack being widespread or severe.
Hundreds of flights across several airports faced delays, with Dublin Airport experiencing some minor impacts as airlines adopted manual check-in processes. Passengers at Heathrow reported extensive queues, with many citing wait times exceeding two hours to check in.
In particular, Lucy Spencer, a traveler waiting for a Malaysia Airlines flight, described the situation at Heathrow as chaotic, with staff manually tagging luggage and checking passengers in over the phone. Other passengers expressed frustration over missed connections and extensive delays.
The cyber-attack raised concerns about the vulnerability of digital systems within the aviation sector. Analysts have warned that disruptions can rapidly escalate due to the interconnected nature of air travel logistics.
Authorities are also looking into the possibility of ransomware involvement, although it remains too early to ascertain the origin and motivations behind the attack. Previous incidents have frequently traced back to criminal groups seeking financial gain from hacked systems.
As Heathrow Airport handles a significant volume of passengers being Europe's busiest, the implications of such disruptions extend beyond individual flights, affecting broader travel networks and schedules across the continent.
