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Heathrow Airport Update: Cyberattack Causes Delays and Flight Disruptions

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Heathrow Airport has faced significant disruption due to a cyberattack on a service provider, which has caused issues with check-in operations at several European airports. The incident began on Friday night and continued throughout Saturday, affecting multiple airlines and resulting in cancellations and delays. British Airways, operating at Terminal 5, remained unaffected. The European Commission is closely monitoring the situation, working with airports and airlines to restore operations.

Key Takeaways:

  • The cyberattack on Collins Aerospace's external service provider has caused issues with check-in operations at Heathrow Airport and several European airports, including Brussels Airport.
  • Around 14 flights were cancelled and some delayed across the other terminals on Saturday due to the technical issue.
  • Collins Aerospace has confirmed that the issue is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop, which can be mitigated with manual check-in operations.
  • British Airways at Terminal 5 was not affected by the issue and operated as normal.
  • The European Commission is working closely with EUROCONTROL, ENISA, airports, and airlines to restore operations and support passengers.
  • Passengers are advised to check the status of their flight before travelling to Heathrow and to arrive no earlier than three hours for long-haul flights and two hours for short-haul flights.

Statistics:

  • 14 flights cancelled and delayed across the other terminals on Saturday due to the technical issue.
  • Multiple European airports affected, including Brussels Airport.
  • Collins Aerospace's external service provider is actively working to resolve the issue and restore full functionality.
  • The European Commission is closely monitoring the situation, with no signs of a widespread or severe attack.
  • Passengers faced delays, queues, and confusion due to the disruption.

Sources:

  • Collins Aerospace: "We have become aware of a cyber-related disruption to our Muse multi-user system environment software in select airports."
  • Brussels Airport updates: "Difficult airport operations and flight cancellations expected on Saturday 20 September and 21 September."
  • European Commission statement: "The Commission is closely monitoring the cyber attack that has disrupted airline check-in and boarding systems for several airlines across multiple airports globally."
  • Heathrow Airport's website: "Work continues to resolve and recover from Friday's outage of a Collins Aerospace airline system that impacted check-in."

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