Passengers stranded at Heathrow, other European airports after cyberattack
A cyberattack targeting a provider of check-in and boarding systems caused widespread disruption at major European airports on Saturday, delaying flights and stranding passengers.
London’s Heathrow, Europe’s busiest hub, confirmed delays and cancellations after Collins Aerospace — a global supplier of airline IT systems — reported what its parent company RTX described as a “cyber-related disruption.”
Brussels and Berlin Hit Hard
Brussels Airport and Berlin Airport said automated check-in and baggage drop systems had been knocked offline, forcing staff to switch to manual operations. Brussels reported 10 cancellations and average delays of one hour.
“The incident has a large impact on the flight schedule and will unfortunately cause delays and cancellations,” the airport said in a statement, adding that the problem began late Friday.
Berlin Airport also warned of longer waiting times, while Frankfurt, Germany’s busiest hub, said it had not been affected.
Passengers Left Without Answers
At Heathrow, travellers described confusion and poor communication from airlines.
Tereza Pultarova, a journalist waiting to fly to Amsterdam, told the BBC: “The airline I’m with doesn’t have a service desk here, so we’ve been left in the dark. It’s been chaos and very frustrating.”
In Berlin, passenger Kim Reisen said travellers were only told there had been “a technical fault.” Another, Siegfried Schwarz, expressed disbelief that airports remained so vulnerable. “I find it inexplicable that, with today’s technology, there’s no way to defend yourself against something like this,” he said.
Airlines Respond
RTX stressed that the disruption was limited to electronic check-in and baggage systems and could be mitigated through manual processes. “We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible,” the company said.
EasyJet said its operations were running normally. Delta Air Lines expected “minimal impact” and had implemented workarounds to reduce disruption. Ryanair and British Airways’ parent company IAG did not immediately comment.
Officials said there was no indication Polish airports were affected. Britain’s transport minister Heidi Alexander said she was receiving regular updates on the situation.
