Major European airports, including Brussels, Berlin, and London’s Heathrow, experienced significant disruptions on Saturday following a cyberattack that targeted check-in systems, resulting in numerous flight cancellations and long delays for passengers.
Authorities at Brussels Airport reported that at least 10 flights had been canceled and another 17 delayed by more than an hour due to the cyberattack, which struck late Friday evening. The airport service provider Collins Aerospace confirmed that a “cyber-related disruption” affected their MUSE software at select airports. While they noted that the impact was limited to electronic check-in and baggage drop services, passengers were advised to utilize manual check-in operations as a workaround.
By Saturday morning, Brussels Airport indicated that the attack continued to exert a “large impact” on flight schedules. Eurocontrol, the European air traffic management organization, stated that airlines had been requested to cancel half of their flights to and from Brussels during the specified timeframe of 0400 GMT on Saturday until 0200 GMT on Sunday. Passengers were urged to verify their flight statuses with airlines before heading to the airport, as only manual check-in and boarding were being conducted.
Photographs from AFP showed long queues at Brussels Airport, with passengers anxiously watching announcement boards that displayed numerous flight delays.
London’s Heathrow Airport, the busiest airport in Europe, encountered challenges in its check-in and boarding systems, also impacted by a “technical issue” linked to Collins Aerospace. Passengers reported congestion and a lack of communication, intensifying their frustration. One passenger, an architect named Rowan, described the scene as unusually crowded compared to typical days, while another traveler waiting for an Air Algerie flight mentioned waiting over an hour for manual check-in procedures.
Freelance journalist Tereza Pultarova, who was booked on a flight to Amsterdam with a following connection to Cape Town, expressed her dismay as the check-in process appeared to move at an exceptionally slow pace, jeopardizing her travel plans.
Meanwhile, Berlin Airport’s official website communicated that passengers would experience longer wait times due to the ongoing technical issue affecting a system provider operating across Europe.
Collins Aerospace stated they were actively working to resolve the issue and restore full functionality to their systems as quickly as possible. The company, known for its digital and data processing services, is a subsidiary of the American aerospace and defense group RTX (formerly Raytheon).
Cyberattacks and technological disruptions have increasingly plagued airports globally in recent years, as air travel systems become more interconnected. A report from French aerospace company Thales highlighted a reported 600 percent increase in cyberattacks targeting the aviation sector from 2024 to 2025. The report warned that every element in the aviation supply chain—from airlines to airport navigation systems—remains vulnerable to cyber threats. Notably, Australian airline Qantas and Japan Airlines experienced similar attacks, with hackers breaching sensitive customer data in recent incidents.
