A cyberattack on Collins Aerospace has caused widespread flight delays and cancellations at major European airports including Heathrow, Brussels, and Berlin.
Brussels Airport requested airlines cancel about half of Monday’s departures, as Collins Aerospace has yet to supply a secure software update to restore full service. RTX, Collins’s parent company, acknowledged the cyber-related problem affecting its MUSE system but said manual check-in options are mitigating the impact.
By Sunday morning, nearly 40 departures and over 30 arrivals had been cancelled at the affected airports, with Brussels hit hardest. Heathrow advised passengers to check flight status before travelling and to arrive two hours early for short-haul and three hours for long-haul flights.
Dublin Airport also faced some delays but aimed to operate a full schedule. Airlines in Terminal 2 were using manual processes, slightly extending check-in times.
This attack follows recent cyber incidents in critical sectors, such as Jaguar Land Rover’s extended production halt and Marks & Spencer’s profit losses caused by earlier breaches.
Charlotte Wilson of cybersecurity firm Check Point highlighted the aviation sector’s vulnerability due to dependence on shared digital platforms, with third-party compromises causing widespread disruption.
“These attacks often strike through the supply chain, exploiting third-party platforms that are used by multiple airlines and airports at once,” she said. Wilson urged regular software updates, robust backups, and better collaboration between providers, airlines, and governments.
“Cyberattacks rarely stop at national borders, so the faster one country can identify and report an attack, the faster others can take action to contain it. A joined-up defence will be far more effective than siloed responses,” she added.