(qlmbusinessnews.com . Mon 22nd Sep, 2025) London, UK —
Heathrow and Brussels Face Cancellations After Collins Aerospace Cyber Incident
Air travellers across Europe, including those at Heathrow, are bracing for further disruptions following a cyber-attack on a crucial check-in and baggage system.
Saturday saw a wave of delays as the software utilised by numerous airlines malfunctioned, prompting airports to revert to manual boarding processes using pen and paper.
Brussels Airport has reported that there is currently “no indication” of when the systems will be fully operational again and has requested airlines to cancel half of their departures for Monday.
RTX, the parent company of Collins Aerospace which provides the compromised software, acknowledged the “cyber-related disruption” at several airports and is striving to rectify the issue promptly.
The Muse software, which enables airlines to share check-in desks and boarding gates, is the system identified as being compromised.
While specific details regarding the cause of the outage or its expected duration remain undisclosed, the company promised updates as soon as possible on Sunday.
Brussels Airport has confirmed that only manual check-ins and boardings are viable following a “cyberattack against Collins Aerospace”, leading to continued disruptions into Monday due to the absence of a secure system update.
Heathrow has yet to confirm if the issue was a cyber-attack but has made apologies for the inconvenience caused, assuring that a majority of flights are still operational and advising passengers to check their flight statuses.
By Sunday, about half of the airlines operating from Heathrow, including British Airways which has resorted to a backup system since Saturday, had managed to get some operations back online.
A spokesperson from Berlin Airport has indicated that manual boarding continues for some airlines without clarity on when electronic systems will be restored.
The number of cancellations across Heathrow, Berlin, and Brussels has surpassed Saturday's tally, as per Cirium, a flight data analytics firm, with not all cancellations linked to the cyber-attack.
Saturday witnessed extensive queues and near half of Heathrow's departures were delayed, FlightAware reported. Efforts were made to alleviate disruptions with additional staff.
By Sunday afternoon, the number of delays decreased, with Virgin Atlantic acknowledging a technical issue affecting check-in systems but maintaining that flights from Heathrow were expected to depart as scheduled.
Naomi Rowan, from Sudbury, Suffolk, shared her ordeal of being stranded alongside her dog due to the cyber-attack's impact on their Air France flight, resorting to spending the night in a hotel.
Eurocontrol has advised airlines to reduce their flight schedules until Monday due to the disruptions, while Dublin Airport aims to maintain a full schedule, urging passengers to consult directly with airlines.
Despite the cyber-attack, Cork Airport reported no disturbances and continues to operate normally. Berlin Brandenburg Airport encourages passengers to opt for online or self-check-in amidst the ongoing outage.
The National Cyber Security Centre is actively collaborating with Collins Aerospace, affected UK airports, the Department of Transport, and law enforcement to assess the incident's impact thoroughly.
The European Commission has indicated it is closely monitoring the situation, which thus far does not appear to be “widespread or severe”.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is keeping a close watch on the developments, amidst concerns about the aviation industry's vulnerability to digital system failures, highlighted by a global IT crash last July caused by a software update error.
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