Heathrow and Other European Airports Hit by Cyberattack, Several Flights Delayed
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A major cyberattack on a popular aviation software provider has caused significant disruptions at key European airports, including London\u2019s Heathrow, Brussels, and Berlin, resulting in hundreds of flight delays and cancellations on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The attack disabled electronic check-in and baggage drop systems, forcing airport staff to revert to manual processing and leaving thousands of passengers stranded in long queues.<\/p>\n
The disruption stemmed from a \u201ccyber-related disruption\u201d that targeted Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of RTX (formerly Raytheon Technologies), reports BBC.<\/p>\n
The company\u2019s Muse software, which allows multiple airlines to share common check-in desks, boarding gates, and baggage systems, was rendered inoperable.<\/p>\n
In response, airports were forced to disconnect from the affected systems<\/a> and handle passenger processing manually, resulting in significant operational slowdowns.<\/p>\n Brussels Airport reported the attack occurred on Friday night, leading to a \u201clarge impact on the flight schedule\u201d with numerous delays and cancellations. Berlin\u2019s Brandenburg Airport also confirmed longer waiting times, while Dublin and Cork airports in Ireland experienced a \u201cminor impact,\u201d with some airlines resorting to manual check-ins.<\/p>\n The technical failure translated into chaos for travelers. At Heathrow\u2019s Terminal 4, passengers reported waiting in queues for over two hours as airline staff manually tagged luggage and processed check-ins over the phone.<\/p>\n One passenger, Lucy Spencer, told the BBC that mobile boarding passes failed to work at the gate, forcing travelers back to the check-in counters where hundreds were already queuing.<\/p>\n RTX confirmed the cyberattack on its Collins Aerospace software at \u201cselect airports\u201d and stated the impact was limited to \u201celectronic customer check-in and baggage drop\u201d.<\/p>\n The company highlighted that the disruption could be mitigated with manual check-in procedures and that its teams were \u201cactively working to resolve the issue and restore full functionality\u201d.<\/p>\n In the meantime, affected airports like Heathrow deployed extra staff to assist passengers and advised travelers to check their flight status with their respective airlines before heading to the airport.<\/p>\n According to flight tracking service FlightAware, hundreds of flights were delayed across the affected airports throughout Saturday, with Brussels Airport alone confirming 10 cancellations and 17 flights delayed by more than an hour.<\/p>\n Find this Story Interesting! Follow us on Google News<\/a>,\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>,\u00a0and\u00a0X<\/a>\u00a0to Get More Instant Updates<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The post Heathrow and Other European Airports Hit by Cyberattack, Several Flights Delayed<\/a> appeared first on Cyber Security News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n