A cyberattack at a supplier of check-in and boarding systems has halted operations at some major European airports, such as London’s Heathrow, the busiest on the continent, resulting in cancellations and delays of flights on Saturday.
Collins Aerospace, which offers systems to a number of airlines at airports around the world, is facing a technical problem that could lead to delays for outbound passengers, Heathrow Airport announced, having issued warnings.
The attack also impacted Brussels Airport and Berlin Airport, they added in separate statements.
RTX, the parent firm of Collins Aerospace, said that it was aware of a “cyber-related disruption” to its software at chosen airports, but did not specify them.
The electronic check-in system was also impacted. “The effect is confined to electronic check-in of customers and baggage drop and may be abated through manual check-in functions,” RTX stated in an e-mailed response, stating that it was making efforts to resolve the glitch as soon as possible.
The attack has brought automated systems to a halt, facilitating only manual check-in and boarding processes, Brussels Airport posted on its website, stating the incident had happened on Friday evening.
“This has a great impact on the flight schedule and will regretfully create delays and cancellations,” it stated.
The airport reported that 10 flights were canceled to date, with a one-hour average delay for all outgoing flights.
Delta Air Lines anticipates minimal effects. Travelers with a flight on Saturday were instructed by impacted airports to verify their travel with airlines prior to arriving at the airport.
Delta reported it was anticipating little disruption to flights leaving the three airports, and that it had set up a workaround to reduce the impact.
Berlin Airport reported on its website that there were extended waiting times in check-in, and it was exploring a speedy solution. Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s largest airport, was unaffected, a spokesperson reported.
One of the operations control centre officials at Zurich Airport also stated that it had not been affected.
EasyJet, one of Europe’s largest airlines, reported that it was still flying normally and did not anticipate the problem affecting its flights for the remainder of the day.
Ryanair and British Airways parent IAG could not be reached for comment immediately.
There were no indications of any threats to Polish airports, Deputy Prime Minister and digital affairs minister Krzysztof Gawkowski stated.
British transport minister Heidi Alexander reported that she was being kept updated about the situation.
