Cyberattack Delays Flights at Major European Airports

The outage began late Friday and affected electronic check-in systems used by multiple airlines. As of Sunday afternoon, Collins said it was still working to restore full functionality but has not disclosed the source or scale of the attack.

London Heathrow, Brussels Airport, Berlin Brandenburg, and Dublin Airport were among the hardest hit. At Heathrow, more than 130 flights were delayed and at least 35 were canceled over the weekend. Airlines switched to pen-and-paper check-in, though British Airways avoided major disruption by using a backup system. Brussels saw every scheduled departure on Sunday delayed by anywhere from 15 minutes to four hours, with roughly half of its departing flights canceled. Berlin recorded more than 70 delays and several cancellations, while Dublin reported 13 cancellations by midday Sunday and warned of longer wait times.

Airports and airlines deployed extra staff to manage the crowds and keep flights moving. Heathrow and Brussels urged passengers to check flight status before leaving home and to arrive no earlier than three hours for long-haul flights or two hours for short-haul journeys. The UK National Cyber Security Centre and the European Commission are monitoring the incident, while Eurocontrol, Europe’s air safety body, asked airlines to cut schedules to ease congestion. Officials stressed that aviation safety and air traffic control remain unaffected.

The incident follows other recent high-profile cyberattacks in Europe, including a hack that halted production at Jaguar Land Rover and earlier breaches at Marks & Spencer and the Co-op. Analysts say the event highlights the vulnerability of aviation systems that rely heavily on third-party technology providers.

Travelers using affected airports should continue to monitor airline updates, as delays and cancellations are expected until Collins Aerospace fully restores its systems.

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