Flight Disruptions Continue Across Europe After Major Cyber-Attack
Air travel chaos continues across Europe as airports struggle to recover from a massive cyber-attack that disrupted airline check-in and boarding systems last Friday.
Brussels Airport announced on Monday that it had asked airlines to cancel nearly half of all scheduled flights—around 140 of 276 departures—as IT teams race to restore full functionality. Authorities warned that delays and cancellations are likely to persist until the issue is fully resolved.
The software provider, Collins Aerospace, said it was in the “final stages” of implementing critical updates to fix the problem. Brussels Airport added that while progress was being made, the timeline for a complete recovery remains uncertain.
Heathrow and Berlin See Partial Recovery
At London’s Heathrow Airport, one of Europe’s busiest hubs, disruption eased slightly on Sunday. British Airways and several other carriers were able to resume operations using backup systems, though passengers continued to face delays. Heathrow confirmed that “the vast majority of flights have continued to operate” but urged travelers to check flight updates before heading to the airport.
In Berlin, some airlines are still manually boarding passengers, with no clear estimate of when normal operations will resume.
Cybersecurity Officials Monitoring Situation
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre confirmed it is working closely with Collins Aerospace, affected airports, the Department for Transport, and law enforcement to assess the impact of the attack. UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she is receiving regular updates and monitoring developments.
Meanwhile, the European Commission said it is “closely monitoring the cyber-attack” but stressed there is no evidence so far that the incident has been widespread or catastrophic.
Rising Threat of Cyberattacks in Aviation
The disruption highlights growing vulnerabilities in the aviation sector. A recent report from French aerospace giant Thales revealed that cyberattacks targeting aviation have surged by 600% in the past year.
For now, passengers traveling across Europe are advised to stay updated on their flight status, expect potential delays, and prepare for continued disruption in the coming days.