Air travel across Europe faced significant disruptions over the weekend due to a cyberattack targeting check-in and boarding systems at major airports. Notable hubs such as London’s Heathrow, Brussels, and Berlin reported outages as the attack affected operations.
Heathrow Airport, the UK’s largest and a critical international travel hub, confirmed that Collins Aerospace, a provider of the compromised check-in and boarding systems, was grappling with a “technical issue.” The airport emphasized that the situation could lead to delays for departing passengers. Travelers were urged to verify their flight statuses with airlines before heading to the airport.
Collins Aerospace, part of the RTX Corporation—formerly known as Raytheon Technologies—acknowledged a “cyber-related disruption” affecting select airports. Although the company indicated that the impact was mainly confined to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop systems, they noted that manual operations could serve as a temporary workaround. The company stated they were actively working to resolve the issues swiftly.
Both Brussels and Berlin airports confirmed their systems had also been compromised, which rendered automated check-in and boarding services inoperable. Brussels Airport reported that the cyberattack occurred on Friday night, significantly affecting the flight schedule and leading to delays and cancellations. Berlin Airport similarly informed travelers about longer waiting times at check-in due to the technical issues.
Notably, Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s largest travel hub, reported no impact from the attack, as did Zurich Airport. Additionally, airports around Paris—including Charles de Gaulle, Orly, and Le Bourget—also stated they had not experienced any disruptions.
As of now, no individual, group, or nation has come forward to claim responsibility for the cyberattack, and the motive remains unclear. Officials noted that there have been no confirmed reports of data theft linked to the incident. The situation continues to develop, and airports are working diligently to restore normal operations.
