Air travel experienced significant disruptions at several European airports, including Heathrow and Brussels, following a cyber-attack that affected check-in and baggage systems. On Saturday, the failure of the software utilized by multiple airlines led to hundreds of delays, prompting staff to manually check in passengers using pen and paper.
Brussels Airport stated that it did not have an estimate for when the system would be operational again and requested airlines to cancel approximately half of their departing flights. RTX, the parent company of the software provider Collins Aerospace, confirmed awareness of a cyber-related disruption in select airports, specifically identifying its Muse software as impacted. The company has not yet provided details on the cause or duration of the outage.
Heathrow Airport reported that while efforts to resolve the issue were ongoing, the majority of its flights continued to operate. British Airways maintained normal operations through a backup system, though most other airlines at the location faced significant disruptions. Flight tracking data indicated that about 47% of departing flights from Heathrow were delayed on Saturday.
Passengers reported lengthy wait times, with some stating they had queued for more than two hours, leading to missed connecting flights. Brussels Airport indicated that manual check-in procedures would persist on Sunday and anticipated more delays, with 44 flights already canceled. Additionally, Eurocontrol, Europe’s aviation safety organization, instructed airlines to cut flight schedules to and from the airport.
Meanwhile, Dublin Airport hoped to maintain a full schedule despite ongoing technical issues, advising passengers to check with their airlines directly for updates. Berlin Brandenburg Airport encouraged travelers to utilize online or self-service check-in options as the situation continued.
A spokesperson from the National Cyber Security Centre confirmed collaboration with relevant stakeholders to assess the impact of the incident, while the European Commission reported that it was closely monitoring developments.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy88857llno?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss