Cyberattack Disrupts Major European Airports

A wave of cyberattacks targeting airport check-in and boarding systems has caused significant delays at several major airports across Europe.

Brandenburg Airport - Berlin, Pic: AP

Belgian authorities confirmed on September 20 that a cyberattack struck a service provider responsible for passenger check-in and boarding operations late on September 19. The disruption forced airlines at Brussels Airport to switch to manual processing, leading to widespread delays and schedule changes. Officials described the impact as “severe.”

Berlin Brandenburg Airport in Germany also reported that its passenger handling systems were affected after a connected service provider was attacked. Airport operators were forced to disconnect from the compromised systems to contain the damage.

In London, Heathrow Airport—one of the busiest aviation hubs in Europe—announced that a “technical issue” had disrupted check-in and boarding services provided by Collins Aerospace, a major U.S.-based aerospace and defense technology company.

Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of RTX (formerly Raytheon Technologies), supplies check-in, baggage handling, and self-service technologies to airlines worldwide. The company confirmed that disruptions were linked to its Multi-User System Environment (MUSE) software.

“We are actively working to resolve the issue and restore full functionality for our customers as soon as possible,” Collins Aerospace said in a statement. “The impact is limited to electronic check-in and baggage processing, which can still be managed manually.”

Airports have urged passengers to double-check their flight status and expect potential delays. Authorities and airlines apologized for the inconvenience, stressing that flight safety was not compromised.

---

A Wake-Up Call for European Aviation Security

This incident underscores a growing vulnerability in Europe’s critical infrastructure: dependence on centralized digital systems. The disruption at Brussels, Berlin, and London shows that a single point of failure—whether caused by a cyberattack or technical malfunction—can ripple across borders, grounding thousands of passengers in multiple countries.

Experts warn that the aviation industry has become an attractive target for both cybercriminal groups seeking ransom and state-backed hackers testing Europe’s resilience. While Collins Aerospace has not confirmed the nature of the attack, the timing and scope suggest a coordinated attempt to exploit weaknesses in widely used passenger management software.

For travelers, the immediate frustration is flight delays. For governments, however, the deeper concern is the fragility of systems that underpin not only commercial aviation but also national security. If check-in platforms can be disrupted for hours, questions arise about how resilient other critical technologies—such as air traffic control or cargo logistics—would be under a similar attack.

The European Union has already pledged to strengthen cyber defenses for transportation networks, but incidents like this highlight the urgency. Experts suggest that airlines and airports will need to diversify service providers, implement stronger redundancy systems, and conduct more frequent cybersecurity stress tests.

Ultimately, this cyberattack is more than an inconvenience. It is a warning shot: in a world where digital systems keep planes flying and passengers moving, cybersecurity has become just as essential as physical safety.

Highland - source: AP