Cyber Attack Disrupts Operations at Heathrow and European Airports

Thu Oct 16 2025 21:16:08 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

A significant cyber attack has caused major disruptions at Heathrow and several other European airports, leading to delays and manual check-in procedures.

Heathrow Airport and various European airports are experiencing substantial delays due to a cyber-attack impacting their electronic check-in and baggage systems. RTX, the parent company of Collins Aerospace, is currently addressing the situation which has led to long queues and manual operations at affected locations. Passengers are advised to check their flight statuses frequently as ongoing disruptions continue throughout the weekend.

Heathrow is among several European airports hit by a cyber-attack affecting an electronic check-in and baggage system.

The airport warned of possible delays due to a technical issue affecting software provided by Collins Aerospace to several airlines.

Brussels Airport said a cyber-attack on Friday night meant passengers were being checked in and boarded manually, while Berlin's Brandenburg Airport also reported longer waiting times due to the problem.

RTX, which owns Collins Aerospace, said it was aware of a cyber-related disruption to its system in select airports and that it was working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

The company added: The impact is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop and can be mitigated with manual check-in operations. It said the attack hit its Muse software - which allows different airlines to use the same check-in desks and boarding gates at an airport, rather than requiring their own.

The BBC understands that British Airways is operating as normal using a back-up system, but that most other airlines operating from Heathrow have been affected.

Hundreds of flights have been delayed at the airports throughout Saturday, according to flight tracker FlightAware.

Lucy Spencer said she had been queuing to check in for a Malaysia Airlines flight for more than two hours, and that staff were manually tagging luggage and checking passengers in over the phone.

However, Luke Agger-Joynes said that while queues in Terminal 3 were much larger than normal, the airline for his US flight and the airport seem to be prepared and the queues are moving much faster than I feared.

Heathrow said additional staff were at hand in check-in areas to help minimise disruption. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was aware of the incident and was getting regular updates and monitoring the situation.

Brussels Airport said there would be a large impact on the flight schedule, including cancellations and delays. Long queues and large crowds could be seen at the airport on Saturday morning.

Travel journalist Simon Calder said that any disruption is potentially serious at Heathrow, given it is Europe's busiest airport, and that departure control is a really complex business.

While there are unfounded accusations circulating that this cyber-attack was carried out by Kremlin-sponsored hackers, officials caution against jumping to conclusions, noting that many major hacks in recent years have been carried out by criminal gangs focused on monetary gain.