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Several major European airports, including London’s Heathrow, Brussels, and Berlin, faced widespread disruption on Saturday after a cyberattack targeted passenger service systems.
Airport operator Brussels Airport reported that automated check-in and boarding systems were knocked offline late Friday, forcing staff to switch to manual operations. At least 10 flights were cancelled and 17 were delayed by more than an hour, with officials warning of further disruptions throughout the weekend.
Collins Aerospace, a U.S.-based aerospace and defense company that supplies airport technology, confirmed that its MUSE software was hit by what it called a "cyber-related disruption." The system, widely used for electronic passenger check-in and baggage drop, was rendered inoperable at affected airports.
In a statement, the company explained that the disruption was limited to customer-facing functions and could be mitigated through manual procedures. It added that teams were working to restore services "as quickly as possible."
Brussels Airport advised travelers to check their flight status with airlines before heading to the airport, cautioning that schedules could face "large impacts" until systems are restored. Departures to destinations including Amsterdam and Kigali, Rwanda, were among the cancelled flights.
Berlin Airport displayed an online notice warning passengers of "longer wait times than usual," while London’s Heathrow Airport, Europe’s busiest, described the outage as a "technical issue" and confirmed additional staff were deployed to assist travelers.
Despite the widespread disruption, some airlines reported minimal impact. EasyJet, a British low-cost carrier based in London, confirmed that its services remained unaffected. Meanwhile, authorities in Brussels and Berlin said the duration of the outage remained unclear as cybersecurity and technical teams continued efforts to restore systems.
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