Cyber attacks by boarders and boarding system providers have undermined operations at major European airports, including London’s Heathrow – the busiest flight delays and cancellations in the mainland.
Heathrow Airport warns that Collins Aerospace, which provides systems for several airlines at airports around the world, is experiencing a technical issue that could lead to delays for departure passengers.
They said in a separate statement that Brussels and Berlin Airport were also affected by the attacks.
Collins Aerospace’s parent company RTX said it has realized its “network-related disruption” in the software at selected airports without a name.
Electronic sign-in affected
“The impact is limited to electronic customers’ boarding and luggage drops, which can be mitigated by manual inspection operations,” RTX said in an emailed statement, adding that it is addressing the issue as soon as possible.
Brussels Airport said on its website that the attack made the automation system inoperable and only allowed manual check-in and boarding procedures.
“This has a big impact on flight schedules, and unfortunately this leads to delays and cancellations of flights… Service providers are actively working on the issue and trying to resolve the issue as soon as possible.”
Affected airports inform passengers who plan to take flights on Saturday to confirm their travel on the airline before heading to the airport.
Frankfurt Airport was not affected
Berlin Airport said on a banner on its website: “Due to technical issues with the system provider…the check-in wait time is longer. We are looking for a quick solution.”
The spokesman said Germany’s largest Frankfurt airport was not affected. An official at the Zurich Airport Operations Control Center also said it was not affected.
EasyJet, the largest airline in Europe, said it is currently operating normally and there is no expectation that the issue will affect the flights for the rest of its time. Other major airlines Ryanair and British Airways owner IAG did not respond immediately Reuters’ Request for comment.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski said there was no sign of a threat to Polish airports.
