A series of major airports across Europe over the weekend had problems with electronic procedures and boarding flights. The incident involved a cyber attack on a service provider. As a result, flights are canceled and delayed everywhere.
Heathrow Airport in London (UK), as well as airports in Berlin (Germany) and Brussels ( Belgian) are among the airports affected. Within just over a day, 73 flights in these three cities were canceled.
In Heathrow alone, more than 130 flights have been delayed as of the morning of September 21 (local time), while Brussels airport has postponed all 80 scheduled flights. Dublin and Cork airports in Ireland were also affected.
Although the incident started on the evening of September 19 (local time) and was said to have ended on September 21, Brussels Airport still warned that the delay and cancellation of flights could continue on September 22.
Brussels Airport said the cause was a cyberattack against Collins Aerospace, a US company that provides procedures and boarding systems, while emphasizing it is unclear when the problem will be fixed.
Collins Aerospace also confirmed the incident on September 20, saying the company discovered cybersecurity disruptions in its procedures and passenger management software (MUSE) at some airports.
However, the incident only affects electronic services and passengers can still do manual procedures and send their luggage. At that time, airports warn that waiting times will be longer and recommend that passengers check flight status before departure.
It is not yet clear who was behind this cyber attack, as no group has taken responsibility or made any demands.
Notably, data on websites that track violations shows that Collins Aerospace was blackmailed by attack in 2023, but the company declined to comment on this precedent.
