Cyberattack Hits European Airports: Heathrow Delays, 50% Brussels Flights To Be Cancelled, Delhi Issues Advisory

(MENAFN- Live Mint) A cyberattack on a third-party service provider on Saturday (September 20) affected automated check-in and boarding systems at major European airports. At least five airports - Berlin-Brandenburg, Brussels, Dublin and Cork in Ireland, and Heathrow - said that the technical issue was affecting departing passengers. This led to cancellations and long delays for many passengers.

In the wake of mass disruptions, airports and airlines in India also issued advisories to passengers. Here's all we know about the airport disruptions right now:

1. "Cyber-related disruption" hit "select airports", the service provider said, as European hubs including Brussels, Berlin and London's Heathrow warned of flight delays. Hours later, Dublin Airport said it was also facing a minor impact from the issue, along with Cork Airport, Ireland's second biggest after Dublin.

2. London Heathrow Airport said Collins Aerospace, a global company that provides check-in and boarding systems to several airlines, was facing a technical issue linked to the disruption.

RTX, Collins Aerospace's parent company, said it was aware of a "cyber-related disruption" to the MUSE (Multi-User System Environment) at selected airports, without naming them.

3. "The impact is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop and can be mitigated with manual check-in operations," RTX said in an emailed statement, adding that it was working to fix the issue as quickly as possible.

It was not immediately clear who might be behind the cyberattack, but experts said it could turn out to be hackers, criminal organisations, or state actors.

4. Brussels Airport has been forced to ask airlines to cancel half of the scheduled departing flights on Sunday in a bid to avoid long queues, a spokesperson for the Belgian airport told Reuters.

"Brussels Airport has asked airlines to cancel half of the scheduled departing flights on Sunday 21 September in order to avoid long queues and late cancellations," the spokesperson was quoted as saying.

5. Major overseas airports have been were thrown into chaos after the "cyber attack" crippled check-in and boarding operations at some of the world's largest travel hubs.

Long lines at the check-in area of Heathrow Airport's Terminal 4 left passengers queuing near the entrance to the transport hub. Arguments also broke out between passengers waiting in long queues at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 4.

6. According to Reuters, 29 flight departures and arrivals had been cancelled at Heathrow, Berlin, and Brussels as of 1130 GMT, according to aviation data provider Cirium.

Meanwhile, the New York Times cited FlightAware as saying that there had been 445 delays and 18 cancellations at Heathrow; 254 delays and 21 cancellations at Brussels; and 202 delays and two cancellations at Berlin-Brandenburg, as of the early evening in Europe.

Flights coming into the European cities made up about 40 percent of the delays at Heathrow, 44 percent of the delays at Brussels and 35 percent at Berlin-Brandenburg. More than 500 flights were disrupted on Saturday, according to FlightRadar.

In total, 651 departures were scheduled from Heathrow, 228 from Brussels and 226 from Berlin on Saturday.

7. Delhi Airport issued an advisory, saying, "Due to cyberattacks impacting European airports, including London Heathrow, Europe-bound flights to and from Delhi Airport may experience some disruptions. Passengers are advised to contact their respective airlines for the latest flight updates"

8. Air India on Saturday also issued a travel advisory due to the cyberattack, warning passengers of potential delays in the check-in process.

Air India said in a post on X, "A third-party passenger system disruption at Heathrow may cause delays in the check-in process. Our ground teams in London are working to minimise inconvenience. Passengers flying with us from London today are advised to complete their web check-in before arriving at the airport to help ensure a smooth experience."

9. A leading aviation figure has called Saturday's cyber attack“deeply concerning”.

Paul Charles, chief executive of The PC Agency and former communications director of Virgin Atlantic, told The Independent's Simon Calder:“Many in the industry are surprised that a company of the stature and scale of Collins Aerospace has been victim of such a cyber attack. It is one of the most experienced systems suppliers in the world to airports and airlines, and governments including the UK.”

10. The European Commission has said it is "closely monitoring" a cyber attack that caused major disruption at several international airports across Europe - including Heathrow.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats raised the spectre of Russian involvement in today's cyberattack. Foreign Affairs spokesperson Calum Miller MP said the government must make a statement on whether they think the Kremlin is to blame.

"The Government needs to immediately make a statement on whether they think there was any Russian involvement in this cyberattack," they were quoted by Sky News as saying.

"If the Kremlin is behind this attack, causing chaos at our busiest airport, we need to be firm in our response," they reportedly said.

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