Passengers travelling through London Heathrow and other major European airports are facing widespread disruption after a cyber attack on a key airline systems provider.
The issue, which began on Friday evening, has led to hundreds of delays and cancellations across airports in London, Brussels, and Berlin. At Heathrow, 40 flights were delayed today, while some services were cancelled over the weekend.
Queues and confusion were reported at Heathrow Terminal 4 as airlines were forced to carry out manual check-in procedures. A spokesperson for Heathrow advised passengers to check flight updates before travelling to the airport, adding: “Please arrive no earlier than three hours before a long-haul flight or two hours before a domestic flight.”
British Airways flights at Terminal 5 were not affected and have been operating as normal.
Brussels Airport confirmed the cyber attack had targeted its service provider on 19 September, disrupting check-in and boarding systems across multiple European airports. The airport warned: “Only manual check-in and boarding is possible. This has a large impact on the flight schedule and will, unfortunately, cause delays and cancellations of flights.”
Berlin Airport also issued a statement warning passengers of long waiting times at check-in.
The technical problem has been linked to Collins Aerospace, which provides check-in and boarding technology for airlines across Europe. The company acknowledged a cyber-related disruption to its Muse system, saying: “We are actively working to resolve the issue and restore full functionality to our customers as quickly as possible.”
The European Commission confirmed it was monitoring the incident closely but stressed there were no signs of a severe or widespread cyber attack. A spokesperson said: “While passengers are facing disruption, aviation safety and air traffic control remain unaffected. The commission is working closely with EUROCONTROL, ENISA, airports and airlines to restore operations and to support passengers.”
Despite reassurances, flight delays and cancellations are expected to continue into Sunday as airports and airlines struggle to clear the backlog caused by the cyber attack.
