Cyberattack disrupts check-in, boarding systems at major European airports including London’s Heathrow

A cyberattack targeting check-in and boarding systems has snarled air traffic and caused delays at some of Europe’s top airports including London’s Heathrow Airport, officials said Saturday.

The Brussels airport says the attack means that only manual check-in and boarding was possible there, and the incident was having a “large impact” on flight schedules.

“There was a cyberattack on Friday (September 19) night against the service provider for the check-in and boarding systems affecting several European airports including Brussels Airport,” it said in a statement.

Authorities at Berlin’s Brandenburg Airport said a service provider for passenger handling systems was attacked on Friday (September 19) evening, prompting airport operators to cut off connections to the systems.

London Heathrow Airport, Europe’s busiest, said “a technical issue” affected a service provider for check-in and boarding systems. “Collins Aerospace, which provides check-in and boarding systems for several airlines across multiple airports globally, is experiencing a technical issue that may cause delays for departing passengers,” Heathrow said in a statement.

The airports advised travellers to check their flight status and apologised for any inconvenience.