Flight disruptions in Europe are expected to persist, with Brussels Airport requesting airlines to cancel nearly half of their flights scheduled for Monday. This follows a cyber-attack on Friday that impacted several major airports by disabling their automatic check-in and boarding systems.
While disruptions had eased significantly at Berlin and London Heathrow by Sunday, delays and cancellations were still reported. Collins Aerospace, the software provider involved, stated on Monday morning that it was nearing completion of essential software updates. Brussels Airport noted that the service provider was actively addressing the issue, but the timeline for resolution remained unclear.
As a result, Brussels Airport has urged airlines to cancel approximately 140 out of 276 outbound flights scheduled for Monday. Heathrow advised that efforts to resolve the situation were ongoing and issued apologies to customers affected by travel delays, noting that “the vast majority of flights have continued to operate.” By Sunday, about half of the airlines operating from Heathrow had resumed services, including British Airways, which utilized a backup system since Saturday.
In Berlin, some airlines continued to board passengers manually, with no clear indication of when the electronic systems would be restored. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre announced its collaboration with Collins Aerospace, affected airports, the Department for Transport, and law enforcement to assess the impact of the cyber-incident. UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander confirmed awareness of the situation, stating that she was receiving regular updates.
The European Commission stated it was closely monitoring the situation, although no indications of widespread or severe issues have emerged. According to a report from the French aerospace company Thales, cyberattacks in the aviation sector increased by 600% over the past year, raising questions about the security measures in place at these critical facilities.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqjeej85452o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss