Delays, Cancellations: Airports Struggle with Cyberattack

A cyberattack on a passenger handling system has disrupted operations at several European airports, leading to flight cancellations and delays. Affected on Saturday, according to their own statements, were Berlin-Brandenburg Airport (BER), the largest European airport by passenger volume, London-Heathrow, as well as airports in Brussels and Dublin. Vienna-Schwechat Airport was not affected.

Cyberattack Reported at European Airports

The disruption occurred at the service provider Collins Aerospace, whose handling systems are used by several airports, as reported by Collins' parent company RTX. Berlin-Brandenburg and Brussels airports spoke of a cyberattack. Who carried out the attack was initially unknown. British Transport Minister Heidi Alexander stated that she is being continuously informed about the situation.

Collins Aerospace confirmed "a cyber-related disruption" at some airports. "We are actively working to resolve the issue and restore full functionality for our customers as quickly as possible. The impact is limited to electronic check-in and baggage drop-off and can be mitigated by manual check-in processes," wrote Collins Aerospace.

The US company is active in various areas of aerospace technology. In addition to manufacturing components for the aviation industry, Collins Aerospace, according to its homepage, develops systems for military applications and is active in space technology.

The German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) stated that air safety is not compromised. A globally offered system for check-in, baggage distribution, and boarding pass control is not operational. Passenger handling at the affected airports is temporarily being done manually, which has led to delays at BER Airport. "Currently, we are trying to work with paper lists and pencils for checking off and are striving for a quick resolution. Therefore, everything is taking longer," said a spokesperson for Berlin Airport in the morning.

Duration of the Restriction Unclear

On the BER Airport website in the morning, it was visible that many flights could depart without delay, but some experienced short and partly longer delays. How long the restriction will last, he could not say, the spokesperson said. A crisis team has been set up. However, online check-in is functioning.

At the same time, it was announced: "The airport itself was not the target of the cyber attack and is only indirectly affected." The system provider is used at airports across Europe. In addition to Berlin, other European airports are affected, with confirmation from Brussels Airport in Belgium and Heathrow in the United Kingdom.

According to the BBC, there were more than 140 flight delays at London-Heathrow by midday. In Brussels, there were reportedly more than 100, and at BER 62.

Significant impacts possible

Brussels Airport stated that significant impacts on flight operations are to be expected - so far, 14 flights have been canceled and departing flights have an average delay of one hour. The queues at the check-in counters are longer than usual.

Currently, due to the attack, only manual check-in and boarding are possible, it was further stated. The service provider is trying to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Passengers should check their flight status with the airline before traveling and plan sufficient time at the airport.

London Heathrow Airport stated that delays could occur, but spoke of technical problems that could lead to delays for departing passengers.

There was also an incident at Dublin Airport in the Irish capital on Saturday: one of the airport's two terminals was evacuated in the morning for security reasons, as the operator announced on X. Details on this remained unclear at first. Independently of this, the Europe-wide software problem is only causing minor impacts in Dublin, it was said.

Whether other airports are affected is unclear. So far, other European airports have reported no problems.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.