A number of airlines are being affected on Saturday (September 20) with passengers moaning they ‘can’t rely’ on it to ‘run smoothly’
Passengers flying out of Heathrow Airport today (Saturday, September 20) have been told to expect delays after an alleged cyber attack targeted a service provider for check-in and boarding systems overnight. Collins Aerospace, a company providing these systems for numerous airlines, is now experiencing an undefined “technical issue”, causing chaos for flights across the world.
The problem was first reported by the West London airport just after 5am. It is currently unclear how long disruption will last with some flights delayed and cancelled. A spokesperson for Heathrow Airport initially said: “A third-party supplier providing check-in and boarding systems for several airlines across multiple airports is experiencing a technical issue, which may cause delays for departing passengers.
“The provider is working to resolve the problem quickly. Please check your flight status with your airline before travelling to the airport. Additional colleagues are available in check-in areas to assist and minimise disruption. We apologise for any inconvenience.”
An updated statement from Heathrow posted at about 8.30am urged passengers to only arrive at the airport at specific time periods before their flight. The update reads: “Collins Aerospace, which provides check-in and boarding systems for several airlines across multiple airports globally, is experiencing a technical issue that may cause delays for departing passengers.
“While the provider works to resolve the problem quickly, we advise passengers to check their flight status with their airline before travelling. Please arrive no earlier than three hours before a long-haul flight or two hours before a domestic flight.
Photos taken at the airport this morning show long queues tailing back from the check-in desks. One disgruntled customer shared their frustration on X, tweeting: “You just can’t rely on this airport to run smoothly.”
Berlin and Brussels airports are all also experiencing delays and and cancelled flights following the “technical issue”. The latter has advised passengers to check their flight status with their airline and only travel to the airport if their flight is confirmed.
A statement from Brussels Airport reads: “There was a cyber attack on Friday night September 19 against the service provider for the check-in and boarding systems affecting several European airports, including Brussels Airport. This means that at the moment only manual check-in and boarding is possible.
“The service provider is actively working on the issue and trying to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. This has a large impact on the flight schedule and will unfortunately cause delays and cancellations of flights.”
Advice to passengers over electronic check-in
Collins Aerospace said on Saturday: “We have become aware of a cyber-related disruption to our Muse software in select airports. We are actively working to resolve the issue and restore full functionality to our customers as quickly as possible.
“The impact is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop and can be mitigated with manual check-in operations.”
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