European airports hit by cyber attack

A number of European airports have been affected by a cyber attack on an airline and airport services provider.

Belgium’s Brussels Airport said there was “a cyber attack on Friday night, 19 September, against the service provider for the check-in and boarding systems affecting several European airports including Brussels Airport”. The statement added that only manual check-in and boarding is currently possible and that the services provider is trying to resolve the issue.

The U.K.’s Heathrow Airport named the services provider as Collins Aerospace. “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,” a passenger notice read. “While the provider works to resolve the problem quickly, we advise passengers to check their flight status with their airline before traveling.”

Berlin Airport has confirmed it has also been impacted by the incident. Affected airports are switching to manual check-in, boarding and bag drop services, as is common procedure in the event of a power outage, with additional colleagues on hand to assist and help minimize disruption.

RTX, which owns Collins Aerospace said it is “aware of a cyber-related disruption” affecting its Muse software. Muse – or Multi-User System Environment – enables multiple airlines to use the same check-in systems and boarding gates. The most recent version, cMuse, offers full or partial cloud-based deployment options through a partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS).

The UK government’s National Cyber Security Centre said it is working with Collins Aerospace and affected UK airports, alongside the Department for Transport and law enforcement colleagues, to fully understand the impact of the incident.

Not all European airports are affected, and the level of disruption varies across those that have been. Post-incident analysis could therefore provide some valuable lessons learned.