Heathrow, Berlin, Brussels Airports report delays after cyberattack hits service provider
Collins Aerospace, which provides check-in and boarding systems for several airlines across multiple airports globally, has been experiencing a technical issue. Passengers have been advised to check with the airlines for the status of their respective flights
Major European airports including London's Heathrow, Brussels and Berlin, reported flight delays and cancellations on Saturday after a cyberattack at a service provider for check-in and boarding systems disrupted operations.
Collins Aerospace, which provides check-in and boarding systems for several airlines across multiple airports globally, is experiencing a technical issue that may cause delays for departing passengers, London's Heathrow Airport said on Saturday, reported Reuters.
Berlin airport also warned of similar disruptions, advising passengers to confirm their travel with airlines before heading to the airport on Saturday.
As per Brussels Airport, the attack disrupted automated systems, allowing only manual check-in and boarding procedures.
“This has a large impact on the flight schedule and will unfortunately cause delays and cancellations of flights...The service provider is actively working on the issue and trying to resolve the problem as quickly as possible,” Brussels Airport stated on its website.
Hours later, Air India issued an advisory for its passengers flying from India to London, to complete their webcheckin before reaching the airports for departure.
How many flights have been cancelled?
According to a report by The Independent, at least four flights were cancelled at the Brussels Airport on Saturday.
The cancelled flights included the 10:25am service to Kigali and the 10:35am KLM flight to Amsterdam.
Which airlines have been affected?
So far, London's Heathrow, Brussels and Berlin Airport have warned of delays and flight cancellations.
Meanwhile EasyJet said it does not expect a system issue affecting airports including Heathrow and Brussels to impact its flight schedule for the rest of Saturday.
"We’re aware of an IT system issue affecting a small number of airports,” a spokesperson told Reuters news agency.
What did Collin Aerospace say
Collin Aerospace, in its statement, said the cyberattack was affecting “select airports” and is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop.
“The impact is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop and can be mitigated with manual check-in operations. We will share more details as they are available," the service provider said in its statement, as per The Independent.
Dublin Airport reportedly said it was facing minor issues due to the cyberattack. On Saturday, the airport's Terminal 2 was evacuated as a ‘safety precaution’.