BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/LONDON (Pakistan Post Canada) – A cyberattack on Collins Aerospace, a provider of airline check-in and boarding systems, disrupted operations at several major European airports on Saturday, including London’s Heathrow, the continent’s busiest hub.
Heathrow Airport confirmed that Collins Aerospace was experiencing a technical issue linked to a cyber-related disruption, causing delays in passenger check-in and baggage handling.
Other affected airports include Brussels Airport and Berlin Airport, both of which warned passengers of flight delays and cancellations.
Electronic Check-In Impacted
RTX, the parent company of Collins Aerospace, acknowledged the issue in a statement:
“The impact is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop and can be mitigated with manual check-in operations. We are working to fix the issue as quickly as possible.”
Brussels Airport reported that the incident began Friday night, forcing a switch to manual check-in and boarding procedures. The disruption has led to 10 cancelled flights so far, with average delays of one hour for departing flights.
Airlines Respond
- Delta Air Lines said it expected only minimal impact, citing a workaround to keep flights on schedule.
- EasyJet reported operations were normal and flights unaffected.
- Ryanair and British Airways (IAG) have not yet commented.
Berlin Airport warned of longer waiting times but said efforts were underway to restore systems. Frankfurt Airport confirmed it was not affected, and Zurich Airport also reported no disruptions.
Governments Monitoring
Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said there were no threats to Polish airports.
UK Transport Minister Heidi Alexander stated she was receiving regular updates on the situation.
