Travellers at major European airports experienced significant disruptions over the weekend due to a cyberattack that targeted Collins Aerospace, a company responsible for check-in technology at many airports worldwide. As the situation unfolded, passengers at Heathrow Airport in London, Berlin Brandenburg Airport, and Brussels Airport were left waiting amidst continued delays and cancellations.
Brussels Airport reported that it anticipated a heavy impact on its flight operations, with numerous cancellations and delays spilling into Sunday. The airport advised passengers to check their flight statuses before heading to the terminal, as the cyberattack severely affected its flight schedule.
Heathrow Airport confirmed its involvement in the chaos, announcing that the cyber disruption stemmed from issues related to Collins Aerospace’s MUSE software, which facilitates electronic check-in and baggage drop processes. Collins’ parent company, RTX, indicated that while the disruption was significant, manual check-in operations could mitigate some of the consequences. The company is currently working to resolve the issues as quickly as possible.
By Saturday afternoon, aviation analytics provider Cirium noted that 29 flights were cancelled across the affected airports. In response to the ongoing situation, Heathrow and other airports issued statements updating travellers on their efforts to recover from the technical outages. Heathrow asked passengers to arrive no earlier than three hours before long-haul flights and two hours before short-haul flights, emphasizing the need for patience during the resolution process.
Berlin Airport also warned travellers to expect longer waiting times due to the disruption affecting its systems. Meanwhile, Dublin Airport reported some difficulties but maintained that it would operate a full schedule on Sunday, with ongoing manual processes for certain airlines in Terminal 2 to facilitate check-in and baggage handling.
This cyber incident is the latest in a worrying trend of cybersecurity breaches targeting various industries. Recently, Jaguar Land Rover announced a halt in production due to a separate cyberattack, while British retailer Marks & Spencer disclosed a significant loss in profits following a similar incident.
Experts in cybersecurity are raising alarms about the aviation sector’s vulnerability, highlighting that many airports and airlines rely on shared digital infrastructures. Charlotte Wilson, a cybersecurity firm executive, noted that attacks often exploit third-party platforms, resulting in widespread impacts across multiple stakeholders. She emphasized the importance of regular software updates, robust backup systems, and enhanced collaboration between technology providers, airlines, and government entities to improve resilience against such attacks.
In an age where cyber threats transcend national boundaries, experts advocate for a coordinated response to bolster defenses, suggesting that swift communication and action between countries could mitigate the fallout from cyber incidents in the aviation industry.
