Cyberattack disrupts checkin systems at Europes major airports AP News
pCopyright 2025 The Associated Press All Rights ReservedppCopyright 2025 The Associated Press All Rights ReservedppThe attack has affected Collins which provides the technology that allows passengers to check themselves in print boarding passes and bag tags and dispatch their own luggage from a kiosk Airports advised travelers to check their flight status and apologized for any inconvenienceppThe disruptions to electronic systems initially reported at Brussels Berlins Brandenburg and Londons Heathrow airports meant that only manual checkin and boarding was possible Many other European airports said their operations were unaffectedppAn airport employee points at a departure board after a cyber attack caused delays at Brussels International Airport in Zaventem Belgium Saturday Sept 20 2025 AP PhotoHarry NakosppPeople stand in a line to check in after a cyber attack caused delays at Brussels International Airport in Zaventem Belgium Saturday Sept 20 2025 AP PhotoHarry NakosppPeople stand in front of a departure board after a cyber attack caused delays at Brussels International Airport in Zaventem Belgium Saturday Sept 20 2025 AP PhotoHarry NakosppPeople at BER airport as a cyber attack has caused delays in Berlin Germany Saturday Sept 20 2025 Carsten Koalldpa via APppPeople at BER airport as a cyber attack has caused delays in Berlin Germany Saturday Sept 20 2025 Carsten Koalldpa via APppThe attack has affected Collins which provides the technology that allows passengers to check themselves in print boarding passes and bag tags and dispatch their own luggage from a kiosk Airports advised travelers to check their flight status and apologized for any inconvenienceppThe disruptions to electronic systems initially reported at Brussels Berlins Brandenburg and Londons Heathrow airports meant that only manual checkin and boarding was possible Many other European airports said their operations were unaffectedppAn airport employee points at a departure board after a cyber attack caused delays at Brussels International Airport in Zaventem Belgium Saturday Sept 20 2025 AP PhotoHarry NakosppAn airport employee points at a departure board after a cyber attack caused delays at Brussels International Airport in Zaventem Belgium Saturday Sept 20 2025 AP PhotoHarry NakosppPeople stand in a line to check in after a cyber attack caused delays at Brussels International Airport in Zaventem Belgium Saturday Sept 20 2025 AP PhotoHarry NakosppPeople stand in a line to check in after a cyber attack caused delays at Brussels International Airport in Zaventem Belgium Saturday Sept 20 2025 AP PhotoHarry NakosppPeople stand in front of a departure board after a cyber attack caused delays at Brussels International Airport in Zaventem Belgium Saturday Sept 20 2025 AP PhotoHarry NakosppPeople stand in front of a departure board after a cyber attack caused delays at Brussels International Airport in Zaventem Belgium Saturday Sept 20 2025 AP PhotoHarry NakosppPeople at BER airport as a cyber attack has caused delays in Berlin Germany Saturday Sept 20 2025 Carsten Koalldpa via APppPeople at BER airport as a cyber attack has caused delays in Berlin Germany Saturday Sept 20 2025 Carsten Koalldpa via APppPeople at BER airport as a cyber attack has caused delays in Berlin Germany Saturday Sept 20 2025 Carsten Koalldpa via APppPeople at BER airport as a cyber attack has caused delays in Berlin Germany Saturday Sept 20 2025 Carsten Koalldpa via APppLONDON AP A cyberattack targeting checkin and boarding systems disrupted air traffic and caused delays at several of Europes major airports on Saturday ppWhile the impact on travelers appeared to be limited experts said the intrusion exposed vulnerabilities in security systemsppThe disruptions to electronic systems initially reported at Brussels Berlins Brandenburg and Londons Heathrow airports meant that only manual checkin and boarding was possible Many other European airports said their operations were unaffected ppThere was a cyberattack on Friday night 19 September against the service provider for the checkin and boarding systems affecting several European airports including Brussels Airport said Brussels Airport in a statement initially reporting a large impact on flight schedulesppAP correspondent Julie Walker reports a cyberattack disrupts checkin systems at major European airportsppAirports said the issue centered around a provider of checkin and boarding systems not airlines or the airports themselvesppCollins Aerospace whose systems help passengers check themselves in print boarding passes and bag tags and dispatch their luggage from a kiosk cited a cyberrelated disruption to its MUSE MultiUser System Environment software at select airports pp
ppIt was not immediately clear who might be behind the cyberattack but experts said it could turn out to be hackers criminal organizations or state actorsppTravel analyst Paul Charles said he was surprised and shocked by the attack that has affected one of the worlds top aviation and defense companies ppHe said its deeply worrying that a company of that stature who normally have such resilient systems in place have been affectedppThis is a very clever cyberattack indeed because its affected a number of airlines and airports at the same time not just one airport or one airline but theyve got into the core system that enables airlines to effectively check in many of their passengers at different desks at different airports around Europe he told Sky News ppAs the day wore on the fallout appeared to be containedppBrussels Airport spokesperson Ihsane Chioua Lekhli told broadcaster VTM that by midmorning nine flights had been canceled four were redirected to another airport and 15 faced delays of an hour or more She said it wasnt immediately clear how long the disruptions might lastppAxel Schmidt head of communications at the Brandenburg airport said that by late morning we dont have any flights canceled due to this specific reason but that could change The Berlin airport said operators had cut off connections to affected systemsppHeathrow Europes busiest airport said the disruption has been minimal with no flight cancellations directly linked to the problems afflicting Collins A spokesperson would not provide details as to how many flights have been delayed as a result of the cyberattack ppThe airports advised travelers to check their flight status and apologized for any inconvenienceppSome passengers voiced annoyance at the lack of staff With many if not most checking in individually airlines have reduced the number of people operating at the traditional checkin countersppMaria Casey who was on her way to a twoweek backpacking holiday in Thailand with Etihad Airways said she had to spend three hours at baggage checkin at Heathrows Terminal 4ppThey had to write our baggage tabs by hand she said Only two desks were staffed which is why we were cheesed offppCollins an aviation and defense technology company that is a subsidiary of RTX Corp formerly Raytheon Technologies said it was actively working to resolve the issue and restore full functionality to our customers as quickly as possible ppThe impact is limited to electronic customer checkin and baggage drop and can be mitigated with manual checkin operations it said in a statementppStill experts said the attack pointed to vulnerabilities ones that hackers are increasingly trying to exploitppCharlotte Wilson head of enterprise at cybersecurity firm Check Point said the aviation industry has become an increasingly attractive target for cybercriminals because of its heavy reliance on shared digital systemsppThese attacks often strike through the supply chain exploiting thirdparty platforms that are used by multiple airlines and airports at once she said When one vendor is compromised the ripple effect can be immediate and farreaching causing widespread disruption across bordersppExperts said it was too early to tell who might be behind the attack and were trying to read some cluesppIt looks almost more like vandalism than extortion based on the information we have said James Davenport a professor of information technology at the University of Bath in England I think significant new details would have to emerge to change this viewppppKeaten reported from Lyon Francepp
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ppCopyright 2025 The Associated Press All Rights Reservedp
ppIt was not immediately clear who might be behind the cyberattack but experts said it could turn out to be hackers criminal organizations or state actorsppTravel analyst Paul Charles said he was surprised and shocked by the attack that has affected one of the worlds top aviation and defense companies ppHe said its deeply worrying that a company of that stature who normally have such resilient systems in place have been affectedppThis is a very clever cyberattack indeed because its affected a number of airlines and airports at the same time not just one airport or one airline but theyve got into the core system that enables airlines to effectively check in many of their passengers at different desks at different airports around Europe he told Sky News ppAs the day wore on the fallout appeared to be containedppBrussels Airport spokesperson Ihsane Chioua Lekhli told broadcaster VTM that by midmorning nine flights had been canceled four were redirected to another airport and 15 faced delays of an hour or more She said it wasnt immediately clear how long the disruptions might lastppAxel Schmidt head of communications at the Brandenburg airport said that by late morning we dont have any flights canceled due to this specific reason but that could change The Berlin airport said operators had cut off connections to affected systemsppHeathrow Europes busiest airport said the disruption has been minimal with no flight cancellations directly linked to the problems afflicting Collins A spokesperson would not provide details as to how many flights have been delayed as a result of the cyberattack ppThe airports advised travelers to check their flight status and apologized for any inconvenienceppSome passengers voiced annoyance at the lack of staff With many if not most checking in individually airlines have reduced the number of people operating at the traditional checkin countersppMaria Casey who was on her way to a twoweek backpacking holiday in Thailand with Etihad Airways said she had to spend three hours at baggage checkin at Heathrows Terminal 4ppThey had to write our baggage tabs by hand she said Only two desks were staffed which is why we were cheesed offppCollins an aviation and defense technology company that is a subsidiary of RTX Corp formerly Raytheon Technologies said it was actively working to resolve the issue and restore full functionality to our customers as quickly as possible ppThe impact is limited to electronic customer checkin and baggage drop and can be mitigated with manual checkin operations it said in a statementppStill experts said the attack pointed to vulnerabilities ones that hackers are increasingly trying to exploitppCharlotte Wilson head of enterprise at cybersecurity firm Check Point said the aviation industry has become an increasingly attractive target for cybercriminals because of its heavy reliance on shared digital systemsppThese attacks often strike through the supply chain exploiting thirdparty platforms that are used by multiple airlines and airports at once she said When one vendor is compromised the ripple effect can be immediate and farreaching causing widespread disruption across bordersppExperts said it was too early to tell who might be behind the attack and were trying to read some cluesppIt looks almost more like vandalism than extortion based on the information we have said James Davenport a professor of information technology at the University of Bath in England I think significant new details would have to emerge to change this viewppppKeaten reported from Lyon Francepp
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ppCopyright 2025 The Associated Press All Rights Reservedp
