Cyberattack hit Heathrow and Other European Airports, causing delays in Flights
“Recently, Heathrow and other European airports suffered delays in flights because of a cyberattack.”
There were hundreds of flight delays and cancellations on Saturday as a result of a huge cyberattack on a well-known aviation software company that caused substantial problems at important European airports, including Berlin, Brussels, and London’s Heathrow.
Thousands of travelers were left waiting in lengthy lines after the attack took down the electronic check-in and baggage drop systems, forcing airport employees to switch back to manual processing.
BBC
| The disturbance was caused by a “cyber-related disruption” that specifically targeted Collins Aerospace, a division of RTX (formerly Raytheon Technologies). |
The business’s Muse software, which enables several airlines to share boarding gates, luggage systems, and check-in desks, was made unusable.
Significant operational slowdowns resulted from airports being forced to disconnect from the impacted systems and process passengers manually.
Brussels Airport
| The attack happened on Friday night and had a “large impact on the flight schedule,” resulting in multiple cancellations and delays. Longer wait times were also verified at Berlin’s Brandenburg Airport, while Ireland’s Dublin and Cork airports saw a “minor impact,” with some airlines turning to manual check-ins. |
Travelers experienced turmoil as a result of the technological malfunction. Passengers at Heathrow’s Terminal 4 reported standing in line for more than two hours while airline employees processed check-ins over the phone and manually tagged bags.
One Traveler
| Lucy Spencer, who spoke to the BBC, said that passengers were forced to return to the check-in counters where hundreds were already waiting since their mobile boarding tickets did not function at the gate. |
RTX
| The impact was restricted to “electronic customer check-in and baggage drop,” according to RTX, which acknowledged the cyberattack on its Collins Aerospace software at “selected airports.” |
The business emphasized that its personnel were “actively working to resolve the issue and restore full functionality” and that manual check-in methods could lessen the impact.
Affected airports, such as Heathrow, sent out more personnel to help passengers in the meantime and encouraged travelers to verify the status of their flights with their individual airlines before arriving at the airport.
FlightAware, a flight tracking service, reports that hundreds of aircraft were delayed throughout Saturday at the impacted airports. At Brussels Airport, 10 cancellations and 17 flights that were delayed by more than an hour were confirmed.
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