Travellers wait in Terminal 4 at Heathrow Airport on Sept. 20, 2025 after major European airports together with Brussels, Berlin and London’s Heathrow have been hit by “cyber-related disruption.”
Justin Tallis | Afp | Getty Images
Disruption at some European airports continued for a second day on Sunday after a cyberattack focused check-in expertise firm Collins Aerospace.
The U.Ok.’s largest airport, Heathrow, was amongst these affected, together with Berlin and Brussels airports.
Brussels Airport stated it anticipated heavy disruption and flight cancellations into Sunday on account of the cyberattack.
What occurred?
Collins Aerospace “provides check-in and boarding systems for several airlines across multiple airports globally,” Heathrow Airport stated in a publish on X Saturday.
Collins’ father or mother firm RTX stated in a press release to Reuters that it was conscious of “cyber-related disruption” to its MUSE software program.
“The impact is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop and can be mitigated with manual check-in operations,” RTX stated in a press release emailed to Reuters. It added that it was seeking to resolve the concern as quickly as attainable.
CNBC has contacted RTX for remark and is awaiting a response.
Which airports are affected?
Aviation analytics supplier Cirium informed CNBC that 29 departures and arrivals have been cancelled throughout Heathrow, Berlin Brandenburg and Brussels as of 12:30 p.m. London time Saturday.
All three airports issued up to date statements Sunday.
Heathrow stated it was working to “resolve and recover” following the Collins outage that impacted check-in.
Passengers proceed to attend at the Brussels Airport as European airports are experiencing disruptions resulting from a cyberattack on the check-in and boarding system in Brussels, Belgium on Sept. 20, 2025.
Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images
“We apologise to those who have faced delays, but by working together with airlines, the vast majority of flights have continued to operate,” it stated on X. “We encourage passengers to check the status of their flight before travelling to Heathrow and to arrive no earlier than three hours for long-haul flights and two hours for short-haul.”
Brussels stated on its website Sunday that the cyberattack was having “a large impact on the flight schedule and unfortunately causes delays and cancellations of flights.” It suggested vacationers to test their flight standing earlier than leaving for the airport.
Berlin warned travelers of longer ready instances on account of the “systems outage at a service provider.”
Dublin Airport was additionally affected however stated it expects to function a full schedule Sunday.
“Some airlines in Terminal 2 are continuing to use manual workarounds to generate bag tags and boarding passes. This means that the check-in and bag drop processes may take slightly longer than normal,” the airport stated on X.
Latest in a line of cyberattacks
The assault on Collins Aerospace is the newest in a slew of cybersecurity breaches to have made the headlines.
Jaguar Land Rover stated final week that it was extending a pause in production till Sept. 24 following a cyberattack. “We have taken this decision as our forensic investigation of the cyber incident continues, and as we consider the different stages of the controlled restart of our global operations, which will take time,” the firm stated in a press release.
While British retailer Marks & Spencer earlier this yr stated a latest cyberattack, which left meals cabinets naked and introduced on-line gross sales to a standstill, would wipe out virtually one-third of its annual profits.
However, Charlotte Wilson, head of enterprise at cybersecurity agency Check Point, famous that the aviation trade was a very goal for cybercriminals given its reliance on shared digital methods.
“These attacks often strike through the supply chain, exploiting third-party platforms that are used by multiple airlines and airports at once,” she stated in an emailed assertion. “When one vendor is compromised, the ripple effect can be immediate and far-reaching, causing widespread disruption across borders.”
To enhance resiliency, she stated aviation firms ought to guarantee software program methods are commonly up to date and well-tested backup methods are in place. She additionally known as for higher information-sharing between the expertise suppliers, airways and governments.
“Cyberattacks rarely stop at national borders, so the faster one country can identify and report an attack, the faster others can take action to contain it,” she stated. “A joined-up defence will be far more effective than siloed responses.”