Cyberattack Disrupts European Air Travel: Major Airlines Affected by Collins Aerospace Software Issue

Europe witnesses disruption in air traffic due to a cyberattack on check-in and boarding systems at several major airports. The attack occurred on Friday night, impacting service providers for these systems across multiple European airports.

Brussels Airport reported significant disruptions as only manual check-ins and boardings were possible following the incident. Authorities revealed that the attack affected various European airports, with Brussels being one of them.

Berlin’s Brandenburg Airport also confirmed an attack on its passenger handling systems, leading to a temporary disconnection from these services. Similarly, London Heathrow Airport, Europe’s busiest, reported a technical issue affecting their check-in and boarding systems.

Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of RTX Corp., is the service provider experiencing the technical issue that led to delays for departing passengers at several airports globally. Collins offers technology that enables self-service check-ins, printing of boarding passes, and bag tagging at kiosks.

However, despite the cyberattack, manual check-in operations were still operational. Collins acknowledged the cyber-related disruption to its MUSE (Multi-User System Environment) software at select airports but assured efforts were being made to restore full functionality swiftly.

The disruptions were limited to electronic customer check-ins and baggage drops, which could be mitigated through manual check-in operations. Meanwhile, Roissy, Orly, and Le Bourget airports in the Paris area reported no interruptions.