Chaos hit england/heathrow/”>Heathrow, Brussels, and Berlin airports %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_0%%over the weekend after a "technical issue" with Collins Aerospace's systems caused widespread flight disruptions. The hiccup, beginning Friday night, forced airlines to switch to manual check-in, sparking delays, cancellations, and mounting frustration.
Massive Delays and Flights Cancelled
Passengers at Heathrow's Terminal 4 faced long queues and confusion as airlines struggled to manage check-in manually. Around seven %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_1%% were cancelled and 18 Moremore delayed into Sunday, though it's unclear %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_2%%how many were directly linked to the tech failure. wales/british/”>British Airways at Terminal 5 remained untouched, %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_3%% as normal.
Heathrow urged travellers to check flight statuses before heading to the airport. They said:
"Work continues to resolve and recover from Friday's outage of a Collins Aerospace airline system that impacted check-in. We apologise to those who have faced delays, but by working together with airlines, the vast majority of flights have continued to operate."
They advised passengers to arrive no earlier than three hours before long-haul flights and two hours before short-haul ones to avoid the growing queues.
Cyberattack Suspected, Airlines and Airports Respond
Brussels Airport revealed the disruption was due to a cyberattack on Collins Aerospace's check-in and boarding systems, which has rattled several major European airports. Their statement %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_4%%read:
"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."
Berlin Airport warned of longer waits at check-in as the glitch slowed operations.
Collins Aerospace Scrambles to Fix the Glitch
Collins Aerospace confirmed on Saturday that a cyber-related disruption hit their Muse software, affecting electronic customer check-in and baggage drop. Their system allowed for manual check-ins to mitigate the chaos:
"We are actively working to resolve the issue and restore full functionality to our customers as quickly as possible."
European Commission Keeps Watch, Urges Calm
The %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_5%% is monitoring the situation closely but insists the cyberattack isn't widespread or severe. A spokesperson said:
"While passengers are facing disruption, aviation safety and air traffic control remain unaffected. We are working with EUROCONTROL, ENISA, airports and airlines to restore operations and support passengers."
Travel chaos looks set to ease, but Brits flying through Europe are warned to stay alert and check flight updates before travelling. %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_6%%
