Some of Europe's biggest airports battled to restore normal operations on Sunday after hackers disrupted automatic check-in systems, with Brussels asking airlines to cancel half of Monday's flight departures due to persistent problems.
Hackers on Friday targeted check-in and boarding systems provider Collins Aerospace, owned by RTX, disrupting operations at London's Heathrow - Europe's busiest airport, Berlin Airport and in Brussels.
Passengers faced long queues, cancellations and delays on Saturday. While the disruption eased significantly in Berlin and Heathrow on Sunday, according to airport officials and data, delays and flight cancellations were continuing.
In a statement early on Monday, Collins said it was working with four impacted airports and airline customers, and was in the final stages of completing the updates needed to restore full functionality.
A spokesperson for Brussels Airport said Collins Aerospace had not yet delivered a secure, updated version of the software necessary to restore full functionality, prompting the airport to seek the flight cancellations on Monday.
Brussels Airport said 50 of Sunday's 257 scheduled departures had been cancelled to avoid long queues and last-minute cancellations. A day earlier, 25 of the planned 234 outgoing flights were cancelled, the airport operator said.
RTX said on Saturday it was working to fix the issue as quickly as possible, and that the disruption could be mitigated with manual check-in operations.
It said the incident had impacted its MUSE software, which is used by several airlines.
One passenger flying from Brussels said the disruption to his journey had been minimal.
"For me, it was business as usual. For those poor souls who didn't do online check-in or have bags to check, they may be waiting a bit," he said.
Berlin Brandenburg Airport said on Sunday some problems persisted but that a manual workaround was in place.
"Occasionally, there are longer waiting times at check-in, boarding, baggage handling and baggage reclaim. Delays to departing flights today are in line with a normal operating day," it said.
Heathrow said early on Sunday that work was continuing to recover from the check-in system outage. It added that "the vast majority of flights have continued to operate".
An analysis by aviation data provider Cirium said delays at Heathrow were "low", Berlin had "moderate" delays, while Brussels had "significant" delays.
Regional regulators said they were investigating the source of the hacking, the latest in a string of hacks to hit sectors from healthcare to autos. A breach at carmaker Jaguar Land Rover halted production, while another caused Marks & Spencer losses in the hundreds of millions of pounds.
Demonstrators carrying Iranian flags and placards supporting the hijab gathered outside the Azerbaijani Embassy...
A Chinese-made AI chip has matched Nvidia’s H200 in tests conducted by its developer, marking a potential breakthrough in China’s effor...
China’s GJ-21 carrier-based stealth reconnaissance and strike drone has completed its first take-off and landing on board the Sichuan, the co...
The Middle East conflict remains tense as diplomatic efforts continue alongside renewed Houthi attacks. Iran says it remains open to mediation, while the Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted a ballistic missile fired towards the kingdom.
Rescuers searched the wreckage of two high-speed trains in central Spain on Thursday as the death toll rose to a provisional 74, making it the country's second fatal high-speed rail disaster this year.
Evacuations and the provision of humanitarian aid in the Russian-occupied southern Ukrainian town of Oleshky have begun, a senior Ukrainian official said on Friday. In a statement on Telegram, David Arakhamia said a six-day ceasefire was holding, and that more details would follow.
Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday as part of efforts to reach a deal between the U.S. and Iran, according to an official briefed on the talks.
UN human rights experts comprising a group including Special Rapporteurs and independent experts who are part of the UN Human Rights Council, have criticised French authorities over their handling of nationwide student protests.
Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) carried 419,000 connecting passengers through Baku in the first nine months of 2026, up 29 per cent year on year, highlighting the capital's growing role as an international aviation hub.
Azerbaijan is seeking to attract more European visitors by improving air connectivity and raising its profile as an international tourism destination, with a new direct route between Brussels and Baku expected to support those efforts.
Saudi Arabia is opening up to more international travellers as tourism expands beyond religious travel. In Riyadh, historic landmarks stand alongside new developments and a rapidly changing skyline, while AlUla and Diriyah offer a glimpse into the kingdom’s heritage.
Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are considering restoring passenger ferry services across the Caspian Sea, six years after the route was suspended.
Flights across some of Britain's busiest airports were thrown into chaos on Tuesday after a technical failure at air traffic control provider NATS disrupted the system used to process flight data.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment