Cyberattack Disrupts Travel As Delays Continue At London Heathrow, Brussels And Berlin Airports - What's Next?

(MENAFN- Live Mint) A cyberattack on a US-based software system provider has disrupted operations at several European airports, extending into a second full day on Sunday. The impact of the breach is poised to worsen for at least one major airport.

The attack which began late Friday, affected electronic check-in systems, causing dozens of cancellations and delays in flights.

The affected software belongs to Collins Aerospace, whose systems help passengers check in, print boarding passes and bag tags, and dispatch their luggage. While the origin of the attack remains under investigation, experts suggest that it could be hackers, criminal organizations or even state actors, AP reported.

Brussels airport hit the hardest

Brussels airport has been impacted most significantly by the cyberattack . As a result, the airlines were asked to cancel nearly 140 departing flights scheduled for Monday, which amounts to half of the total 276 flights. The airport stated that the decision was made because the Collins Aerospace "is not yet able to deliver a new secure version of the check-in system.”

Cancellations and delays at Brussels airport will continue as long as manual check-in is necessary, it said.

Efforts to mitigate the issue

While departure boards for London's Heathrow and Berlin's Brandenburg airports showed signs of recovery on Sunday, Brussels Airport continued to face considerable challenges.

Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of RTX Corp., acknowledged a“cyber-related disruption” on Saturday and stated it was working to resolve the issue.“The impact is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop and can be mitigated with manual check-in operations," the company said.

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The Brussels airport spokesperson Ihsane Chioua Lekhli said that the cyberattack affected only computer systems at check-in desks and not self-service kiosks. The airport was able to maintain 85% of scheduled departures over the weekend by deploying extra staff“and the fact that self bag drop and online check-in are still operational.”

Background of the cyberattack

Major European airports , including Berlin, Brussels and London were hit by these disruptions on late Friday that snarled up check-in and sent airline staffers trying options like handwriting boarding passes or using backup laptops. However, many other European airports remained unaffected.

Shortly after, Indian government told PTI that the cyberattack has not disrupted operations in any airport of the country so far.

Also Read | Cyberattack disrupts European airports including Heathrow, Brussels - 10 updates

The European Commission, the executive branch of the 27-nation European Union, said that aviation safety and air traffic control were unaffected. There was currently no indication of a widespread or severe attack, the news report by ANI said.

Advice to passengers

The affected airports have advised passengers to check their flight status before traveling to the airports, and using alternative check-in methods.

“We apologize to those who have faced delays, but by working together with airlines, the vast majority of flights have continued to operate," a Heathrow statement said.

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A rolling message Sunday on the Brandenburg Airport's web page said:“Due to a systems outage at a service provider , there are longer waiting times. Please use online check-in, self-service check-in and the fast bag drop service.”

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