A cyberattack at several major European airports over the weekend severely disrupted aviation operations. Systems at London, Berlin, and Brussels airports temporarily crashed, resulting in numerous flights being delayed or canceled entirely. The attack targeted Collins Aerospace, a US-based company that provides check-in and boarding systems for many airlines.
Cyberattack on European Airports
The attack began Friday night and intensified by Saturday morning. Brussels Airport announced that automated systems were down, allowing only manual operations.
This situation caused significant flight schedule delays, with at least 10 flights canceled so far, and the remaining departures experiencing an average of an hour’s delay.
Berlin Airport confirmed it was similarly affected. The statement stated that long check-in wait times were caused by a technical issue with a European system provider. Frankfurt and Zurich airports experienced no disruption. The Polish government also confirmed that its airports were not affected.
RTX, the parent company of Collins Aerospace, confirmed, without naming names, that there was a cyber-related disruption to the software infrastructure at some airports. The company stated that it was working to resolve the issue and had temporarily switched to manual systems. In a statement, RTX noted that it was aware of the disruptions caused by the process and that technical teams were on-site to restore normalcy.
Immediately following the incident, airlines issued warnings to their passengers. Passengers with flights on Saturday were specifically asked to confirm their flight status with their airline before traveling to the airport.
Delta Air Lines stated that they did not expect any serious issues with flights departing from potentially affected airports and that they were developing alternative solutions to prevent inconvenience to passengers. EasyJet announced that operations are currently operating normally.
It is not yet clear which group or individuals were behind the attack. It is reported that, along with increased digital security measures across Europe, various additional measures are being evaluated to prevent a recurrence. Authorities are particularly recommending that travelers obtain up-to-date information through airline apps and official airport websites.
