Cyber attack hits Heathrow and European airports
A cyber attack has caused flight delays at Heathrow and several European airports, with problems lasting for hours on end.
Airports in London, Berlin and Brussels have warned passengers that their flights may be delayed due to technical issues in check-in and boarding systems.
The software provider, Collins Airspace, was suffering a technical issue for “departing passengers”, according to a statement by Heathrow Airport.
“While the provider works to resolve the problem quickly, we advise passengers to check their flight status with their airline before travelling,” the statement read.
“We apologise for any inconvenience.”
Security officials said they were looking into the incident on Saturday afternoon.
A National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) spokesman said: “We are working with Collins Aerospace and affected UK airports, alongside Department for Transport and law enforcement colleagues, to fully understand the impact of an incident.”
Brussels Airport said the cyber attack began on Friday night, leading to nearly a dozen flight cancellations and delays to at least 17 departures.
Passengers were also experiencing longer waits at check-in because they were being done manually.
“The service provider is actively working on the issue and trying to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.”
Airports software provider responds to cyber attack
Collins Airspace said it had identified a cyber attack on one of its systems and the problem was isolated to check-ins and baggage drops.
“We have become aware of a cyber-related disruption to our MUSE software in select airports,” a statement provided to Morning Wire said.
“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.”
Liberal Democrat opposition members have urged the government to clarify whether Russia was behind the security attack.
The latest cyber attack has come as the likes of Jaguar Land Rover and M&S have suffered from major costs and put thousands of jobs at risk after they were targeted by hackers.
The retailer said the cyber attack would cost some £300m in total while estimates suggest JLR could take a £120m hit as ongoing disruption had led to shutdowns of factories in the UK.
Suppliers to JLR were also at risk of going insolvent, according to reports.
Airports, meanwhile, have suffered from a torrid few years of issues with softwares. The cyber attack on cyber security firm CrowdStrike in mid-2024 led to delays worldwide.
A few months ago, a glitch in the UK’s air traffic control system also led to severe disruption at Heathrow and other airports.