In brief
Heathrow Airport is experiencing its second day of disruption due to a cyber-attack that impacted a check-in and baggage system. Hundreds of flights have been delayed, causing lengthy queues as passengers are processed manually. Officials are working to restore normal operations.
Air travellers are facing another day of disruption at several European airports including Heathrow, after a cyber-attack knocked out a check-in and baggage system.
There were hundreds of delays on Saturday after the software used by several airlines failed, with affected airports boarding passengers using pen and paper.
Brussels Airport said it had no indication yet when the system would be functional again and had asked airlines to cancel half their departing flights.
RTX, which owns software provider Collins Aerospace, stated it was aware of a cyber-related disruption to its system in select airports and hoped to resolve the issue quickly.
It identified its Muse software, which allows different airlines to use the same check-in desks and boarding gates, as the affected system.
Heathrow has confirmed ongoing efforts to resolve the issue, apologizing for the delays but noting that the vast majority of flights have continued to operate. Passengers are urged to check flight statuses before heading to the airport.
British Airways continued operations at Heathrow using a backup system while most other airlines were affected by the outage. Long lines formed as staff manually checked in passengers, leading to reports of significant wait times.
The situation escalated further at other airports, with Dublin Airport expecting full operations despite technical issues and Berlin Brandenburg Airport advising travellers to use online check-in.
A spokesperson from the National Cyber Security Centre mentioned they were working with Collins Aerospace and law enforcement to assess the impact of the incident, while the European Commission is closely monitoring the situation.
Events like this highlight the aviation industry's vulnerability to digital system issues, as experienced previously during a global IT crash related to another security firm's software.
