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The Guardian
The Guardian
1M ago 46 views

Disruption continues at Heathrow, Brussels and Berlin airports after cyber-attack

A cyber-attack on Collins Aerospace has caused significant flight delays and cancellations at Heathrow, Brussels, and Berlin airports, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers.
Disruption continues at Heathrow, Brussels and Berlin airports after cyber-attack
A What happened
A cyber-attack on Collins Aerospace has severely disrupted air travel across Europe, particularly affecting Heathrow, Brussels, and Berlin airports. The attack, which targeted check-in desk software, forced airlines to revert to slower manual check-ins starting Friday night. By Sunday, Heathrow reported that 90% of its flights had been delayed, with an average delay of 34 minutes, while Brussels airport requested airlines to cancel half of their Monday departures. In Berlin, 73% of flights were delayed due to the systems outage. Collins Aerospace, owned by RTX, is working to restore functionality, and the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre is collaborating with authorities to assess the impact of the incident. Passengers are advised to check flight statuses and arrive at airports with ample time.

Key insights

  • 1

    Widespread Flight Delays

    90% of Heathrow flights faced delays due to the cyber-attack.

  • 2

    Brussels Flight Cancellations

    Brussels airport requested airlines to cancel half of Monday's flights.

  • 3

    Manual Check-Ins Implemented

    Airlines reverted to manual check-ins as a response to the software outage.

Takeaways

The cyber-attack highlights vulnerabilities in airport operations and the need for robust cybersecurity measures.