Cyber-attack disrupts check-in at major European airports

New Delhi, Sep 20: Several European airports faced widespread disruption on Saturday after a cyber-attack hit a key electronic check-in and baggage system used by multiple airlines.

The issue, linked to Muse software supplied by Collins Aerospace, forced airports including Heathrow, Brussels and Berlin’s Brandenburg to revert to manual check-in and boarding. Heathrow warned passengers of possible delays, advising them to check flight status with their airlines before travel, reports BBC.

RTX, the parent company of Collins Aerospace, confirmed it was “aware of a cyber-related disruption” at “select airports” and was working to resolve the problem. The company said the impact was limited to check-in and baggage drop, and could be mitigated with manual operations.

Passengers reported long queues and confusion. At Heathrow Terminal 4, Malaysia Airlines travellers said staff were manually tagging bags and phoning through passenger details, with boarding passes on mobile devices often failing to scan at gates.

Brussels Airport warned of a “large impact” on flight schedules, including cancellations and delays, while Eurocontrol asked airlines to cancel half their flight schedules at Brussels between 04:00 GMT Saturday and 02:00 Sunday. Nearly 100 delays were reported at Heathrow by 10:00 BST, along with about 70 in Brussels and 15 in Berlin, according to FlightAware.

Travel experts warned that disruption could ripple across Europe. “Any disruption is potentially serious at Heathrow, given it is Europe’s busiest airport,” journalist Simon Calder told the BBC. “Planes, passengers and pilots are not where they are meant to be, and things can get quite a lot worse before they get better.”