LONDON, UK — A cyberattack targeting a key aviation service provider has disrupted passenger operations at several major European airports, including London’s Heathrow, Brussels, and Berlin, causing flight delays and cancellations on Saturday.
The outage hit systems operated by Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of RTX, which supplies check-in and boarding technology to airlines worldwide.
Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, said the disruption could delay departing passengers, while Brussels and Berlin airports confirmed their automated systems had been forced offline.
RTX acknowledged a “cyber-related disruption” to Collins’ software at select airports but declined to specify which ones.
In a statement, the company said the incident had affected electronic check-in and baggage drop but stressed the problem could be partially contained through manual processing.
Brussels Airport described the impact as “large,” warning that delays and cancellations would continue through Saturday after the systems failed late Friday.
“The service provider is actively working on the issue and trying to resolve the problem as quickly as possible,” it said.
Berlin Airport issued a similar alert, warning passengers of “longer waiting times” at check-in and urging travelers to confirm their flight status before arriving.
The disruption has not affected all European hubs. Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s busiest, reported normal operations, while Zurich Airport also said it was unaffected.
Aviation officials across the affected countries urged travelers to check directly with airlines before heading to the airport, as long queues and cancellations were expected to continue until the systems are restored.
