Cyber-attack causes delays at Heathrow and other European airports

Several European airports have been struck by a cyber-attack affecting an electronic check-in and baggage control system, including Heathrow. The airport has been warned of delays as a result of a technical issue that affects Collins Aerospace's software to many airlines. On Friday night, a cyber-attack resulted in passengers being checked in and boarded manually, according to Brussels' Brandenburg Airport, while Berlin's Brandenburg airport also reported longer wait times due to the issue. RTX, the parent company of Collins Aerospace, said it was aware of a cyber-related disruption to its select airports and that it was responding as quickly as possible.

The effect is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop, and can be minimized by manual check-out procedures,

the company explained.

The attack was targeted by Muse software, which allows different airlines to use the same check-in desks and boarding gates at an airport rather than demanding their own,

the airline reported. The BBC confirms that British Airways is operating as normal using a back-up system, but that most other airlines operating from Heathrow are affected. Hundreds of flights were delayed at the airports throughout Saturday, according to flight tracker FlightAware. Lucy Spencer said she had been waiting to check in for a Malaysia Airlines flight for more than two hours, and that staff were constantly tagging luggage and checking passengers in over the phone.

They told us to use the boarding passes on our phone, but when we got to the gates, they weren't working, they've now directed us back to the check-in gate,

she told the BBC from Heathrow's Terminal 4, adding that she could see hundreds of people queuing up. Monazza Aslam, a second passenger, said she had been on the tarmac for more than an hour with no idea when we'll fly and had already missed her onward connection at Doha.

I've been at Heathrow with my elderly parents since 05:00,

she said, adding, "We are hungry and exhausted.

However, Luke Agger-Joynes said that although Terminal 3's lines were much larger than normal, the airline for his US flight and the airport

was on time, and the lines were moving much faster than I expected.

They are also calling out specific flights and selecting people out of the line to ensure they don't miss their flights,

he said. To minimize disruption, Heathrow said additional staff were on hand in check-in areas.

We advise passengers to check their flight status with their airline before flying to the airport and arriving no later than three hours.

For a long haul flight or two hours for a domestic flight, passengers should check their airline website before arriving or arriving no sooner than two hours. Heidi Alexander, the Transportation Secretary, said she was aware of the incident and was

getting regular updates and monitoring the situation.

Both EasyJet and Ryanair, which do not operate out of Heathrow, are among Europe's biggest airlines, but they are still operating as normal. According to Brussels Airport, there would be a significant effect on the flight schedule, which would include cancellations and delays. On Saturday morning, long lines and huge crowds could be seen at the airport. Airlines had been asked to cancel half of their flight schedules to and from the airport between 04:00 GMT on Saturday and 02:00 on Monday due to the disruption, according to Eurocontrol, Europe's joint aviation safety group. Same issues were affecting Dublin Airport, which has yet to speak out in public. Dublin Airport also reported that its Terminal 2 had been evacuated as a safety precaution and that

flight operations may be limited. The reason for the evacuation has not been revealed. Any disruption at Heathrow is potentially fatal, according to travel blogger Simon Calder, and

departure control is a very difficult process.

These items are all interconnected, so a little bit of a problem in Brussels, Berlin. People are beginning to be missing connections, planes, and pilots, so things are going to get a lot worse before they get better.

A global IT disaster caUSed by a software upgrade from cybersecurITy company Crowdstrike in September only last year, caUSing disruption to aviation and grounding flights around the UnITed States. Analysts said at the time that the incident highlighted how the industry could be vulnerable to issues with digital technologies.

Although there are unverified reports circulating that this cyber-attack was carried out by Kremlin-sponsored hackers, all major hacks in the last few years have been carried out in criminal groups more concerned about receiving money from their victims. Extortion gangs have earned hundreds of millions of dollars a year by using ransomware to pay them large sums in cryptocurrency. It's much too early to know who is behind this attack. Some cyber-security experts believed this could be a ransomware attack, but please note that state-sponsored actors can also carry out ransomcode attacks. Collins Aerospace has yet to comment publicly about the hack's source or source. Many hacking organisations are headquartered in Russia or other former Soviet countries, some of whom are believed to have links to Russia. However, there have been plenty of arrests elsewhere, though British and American teenagers have been accused of carrying out some recent massive cyber-attacks against Las Vegas casinos, M&S, Co-op, and Transport for London.