Heathrow among airports hit by delays after ‘cyber attack’ on check-in provider

Flights have been delayed and cancelled at airports including Heathrow after an alleged cyber attack targeted a service provider for check-in and boarding systems.

London Heathrow, Brussels and Berlin airports are all experiencing delays and disruption following the “technical issue” affecting Collins Aerospace, which works for several airlines at multiple airports across the world.

Heathrow said passengers should check their flight status before travelling to the west London airport.

Heathrow said: “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.

“While the provider works to resolve the problem quickly, we advise passengers to check their flight status with their airline before travelling.

“Please arrive no earlier than three hours before a long-haul flight or two hours before a domestic flight.

“Additional colleagues are available in check-in areas to assist and help minimise disruption. We apologise for any inconvenience.”

Tereza Pultarova, a freelance journalist from London, arrived at Heathrow Airport in the early hours of the morning to catch a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight to Amsterdam, where she was to hop on a connection flight to Cape Town in South Africa.

But on arrival at the airport’s Terminal 4, she was faced with queues, delays, and confusion as to whether she will be able to make her trip at all.

“We’ve been here since 4.30am we were supposed to be on a 6.30am flight to Amsterdam,” Ms Pultarova told the PA news agency.

“Most people on this flight have connecting flights to catch in Amsterdam from all over the world.

“We were kind of stranded here because the weird thing is, KLM wasn’t able to issue us boarding passes digitally, and requested us to collect them at the check-in desk.

“And then they told us that there is some sort of global issue with the system they’re using for check-in and boarding, and they have to do everything manually.

“So then they were checking in people at the rate of, like, one person per 10 minutes.

“I’m not exaggerating. It was just insane, the queue wasn’t moving.

“And then suddenly they said, ‘Oh, the flight will be departing, we’re closing the gate’.

“So they checked-in like 20 people, maybe like the business class, and then told the people from the 6.30 flight to just go away, that they need to start checking in for the 8.40 flight.”

Ms Pultarova was to visit the Square Kilometre Array telescopes in the Karoo Desert for work, and added she had been looking forward to this trip for months.

She said: “I need to be there at 7am tomorrow, otherwise the party will leave for the Karoo Desert where the telescopes are.

“So yeah, you know, I need to have information, but nobody’s giving me any information, so I don’t know what to do.”

Ms Pultarova was eventually told she could get on the 3.30pm flight – which means she will miss her connection flight in Amsterdam.

“I’m a freelance journalist, so it’s causing me loss of income,” she said.

“I’ve been really kind of excited about this trip.

“It was a short break – from the 21st to the 26th – so it’s three nights at the Karoo site.

“It’s one of those things where you don’t have really flexibility. So for me, it’s really been a big bummer.”

Maria Casey, from Aldershot in Hampshire, was on her way to a two-week backpacking holiday in Krabi, southern Thailand, via Abu Dhabi.

But her Etihad flight departing at 9.30am was delayed and she ended up queuing for three hours as baggage check-in had to be done manually with baggage tags being written by hand.

“Only two desks were staffed which is why we were cheesed off,” she told PA. “Didn’t know then it was a cyber attack until four hours later.”

Brussels Airport said: “There was a cyber attack on Friday night September 19 against the service provider for the check-in and boarding systems affecting several European airports, including Brussels Airport.

“This means that at the moment only manual check-in and boarding is possible.

“The service provider is actively working on the issue and trying to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.

“This has a large impact on the flight schedule and will unfortunately cause delays and cancellations of flights.”

Brussels Airport has advised passengers to check their flight status with their airline and only travel to the airport if their flight is confirmed.

A statement on the Berlin Airport website said: “Due to a technical issue at a system provider operating across Europe, there are longer waiting times at check-in.

“We are working on a quick solution.”

Collins Aerospace said it is working to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

It said: “We have become aware of a cyber-related disruption to our Muse (Multi-User System Environment) software in select airports.

“We are actively working to resolve the issue and restore full functionality to our customers as quickly as possible.

“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.”

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “I’m aware of an incident affecting airline check-in and boarding, impacting flights at Heathrow and other European airports.

“I’m getting regular updates and monitoring the situation.

“If you’re flying at Heathrow today, check with your airline before travelling.”