A cyberattack targeting a service provider for check-in and boarding systems has disrupted operations at several major European airports, including London’s Heathrow, the continent’s busiest, causing flight delays and cancellations on Saturday.

Collins Aerospace, which supplies check-in and boarding systems for multiple airlines across several airports globally, is experiencing a technical issue that may delay departing passengers, Heathrow Airport said on Saturday, having previously warned of potential delays.

Brussels Airport and Berlin Airport were also affected by the attack, officials said in separate statements.

RTX, the parent company of Collins Aerospace, confirmed it had become aware of a “cyber-related disruption” to its software in select airports, without specifying which.

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

The attack has rendered automated systems inoperable, allowing only manual check-in and boarding procedures, Brussels Airport said on its website, noting that the incident occurred on Friday night.

This has a large impact on the flight schedule and will unfortunately cause delays and cancellations of flights…The service provider is actively working on the issue and trying to resolve the problem as quickly as possible,” the airport added.

Passengers scheduled to fly on Saturday were advised by affected airports to confirm their travel with airlines before heading to the airport.

Due to a technical issue at a system provider operating across Europe, there are longer waiting times at check-in. We are working on a quick solution, Berlin Airport said in a banner on its website.

Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s largest, was not affected, a spokesperson said, while an official from Zurich Airport’s operations control centre confirmed it had also not been impacted.

Source: Agencies