Cyberattack hits check-in systems, delays flights at European airports
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A cyberattack on Collins Aerospace's check-in software caused delays and cancellations at Heathrow, Brussels, and Berlin airports, disrupting weekend travel.
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Planes land at Heathrow Airport, London, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025 (AP)
A cyberattack targeting a provider of check-in and boarding software caused widespread disruption at several major European airports on Saturday, leading to delays and flight cancellations.
London’s Heathrow Airport, Europe’s busiest, said the outage was linked to Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of RTX, which supplies passenger-processing systems to airlines worldwide. The airport warned travellers of potential delays for departing flights.
Brussels Airport and Berlin Airport reported similar problems, saying the attack had disabled automated systems and forced staff to process passengers manually. According to Brussels Airport, the incident began late Friday, cancelling at least ten flights and delaying others by around an hour.
“The impact is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop and can be mitigated with manual check-in operations,” RTX said in an emailed statement, noting its teams were working to restore services quickly.
Passengers face uncertainty
At Heathrow, journalist Tereza Pultarova told BBC News she had been “left in the dark” while waiting for a 6:30 a.m. flight to Amsterdam. “It’s been a great chaos, and quite frustrating for most people here,” she said.
Berlin travellers voiced similar concerns. Kim Reisen described “long delays and a lack of clarity,” while fellow passenger Siegfried Schwarz said: “I find it inexplicable that, with today’s technology, there’s no way to defend yourself against something like that.”
Airlines and authorities respond
EasyJet said its operations were unaffected, while Delta Air Lines reported only minor disruption after implementing a workaround. Ryanair and British Airways’ parent IAG did not immediately comment. Germany’s Frankfurt Airport confirmed it had not been impacted.
Polish deputy prime minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said there was no indication of threats to airports in Poland, while UK transport minister Heidi Alexander said she was receiving regular updates.
Collins Aerospace and RTX have not specified the source of the attack but stressed that repairs were underway to restore automated services.
