Heathrow and Brussels Airports Face Ongoing Travel Disruptions After Cyber Attack

Wed Oct 22 2025 01:47:49 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Air travelers are experiencing considerable delays at major European airports, primarily Heathrow and Brussels, following a cyber-attack that affected check-in and baggage systems.

A cyber-attack has led to significant travel disruptions across European airports, particularly Heathrow and Brussels. With check-in systems down, passengers are facing delays and long queues, forcing some airlines to revert to manual check-in processes. The situation remains fluid as airports scramble to resolve the issues and minimize impact on travelers.

Air travellers are facing another day of disruption at several European airports including Heathrow after a cyber-attack knocked out a check-in and baggage system.

There were hundreds of delays on Saturday after the software used by several airlines failed, with affected airports boarding passengers using pen and paper.

Brussels Airport said it had no indication yet when the system would be functional again and had asked airlines to cancel half their departing flights.

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

It identified its Muse software - which allows different airlines to use the same check-in desks and boarding gates at an airport - as the system that had been affected. The company has not disclosed what went wrong or how long it expects the outage to last.

Heathrow continued efforts to resolve the issue on Sunday, apologizing to those affected and stressing that the vast majority of flights have continued to operate, urging passengers to check their flight status and arrive on time.

The BBC understands that British Airways has continued normal operations at the airport using a backup system, while most other airlines had been affected. Reports indicated hours-long queues and up to 47% of departing flights at Heathrow were delayed.

Brussels Airport said manual check-in would persist and warned of long queues and further delays, cancelling 44 departing flights so far on Sunday. Dublin Airport is expecting to operate a full schedule despite ongoing issues, while Berlin Brandenburg Airport advised travellers to utilize online or self-service check-in.

A National Cyber Security Centre spokesperson confirmed that they are working with Collins Aerospace and affected airports to understand the full impact of the incident. The European Commission is monitoring the cyber-attack, with no indications of it being widespread or severe.