Passengers facing another day of disruption after check-in system ‘cyber attack’

Passengers are facing another day of disruption at several European airports including London Heathrow, after an alleged cyber attack targeted a service provider for check-in and boarding systems.

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

The disruption began on Friday night and continued throughout Saturday, with flights cancelled or delayed as the impacted airlines had to carry out check-in and boarding operations manually.

Passengers due to fly from the airport’s Terminal 4 said they were met with queues, delays and confusion as to whether they’d be able to make their planned trips.

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

“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,” Heathrow said.

“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.”

It is understood British Airways at Terminal 5 remains unaffected and has been operating as normal.

Around 14 flights were cancelled and some delayed across the other terminals on Saturday, although it is not clear which of these were caused by the technical issue.

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.

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

The airport warned that flight disruption and cancellations would continue into Sunday.

A statement on the Berlin Airport website said there were longer waiting times at check-in.

Collins Aerospace said on Saturday it was 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.”

The European Commission, which takes part in managing airspace across Europe, said it is monitoring the situation but added there were no signs the alleged cyber attack was “widespread or severe”.

A spokesperson for the European Commission said on Saturday evening: “The commission is closely monitoring the cyber attack that has disrupted airline check-in and boarding systems for several airlines across multiple airports globally.

“While passengers are facing disruption, aviation safety and air traffic control remain unaffected.

“The commission is working closely with EUROCONTROL, ENISA, airports and airlines to restore operations and to support passengers.

“Current signs do not indicate a widespread or severe attack.”