A major cyber-attack targeting airline IT systems led to severe disruption at London’s Heathrow Airport on Saturday, causing widespread delays and cancellations. The impact quickly spread to other European hubs, including Frankfurt, Paris Charles de Gaulle, and Amsterdam Schiphol, leaving thousands of passengers stranded and airlines scrambling to restore operations.
Saturday’s problems were centered on the MUSE passenger service software made by Collins Aerospace, a system widely used for airline check-in, boarding, and baggage operations across global airports, according to aviation officials. Reports indicate that when MUSE was compromised, critical processes at Heathrow and several European hubs ground to a halt, highlighting how dependent international travel has become on shared third‑party digital platforms.
According to airport authorities, the cyber-attack was aimed at a third-party software provider that manages flight scheduling and passenger information systems across multiple airlines. The breach caused check-in kiosks, boarding systems, and baggage handling networks to malfunction, forcing staff to switch to manual processes. As a result, long queues stretched across terminals, with frustrated travelers reporting wait times of more than four hours.
According to Heathrow Airport, it was one of those impacted. They claimed separately that Berlin Airport and Brussels Airport were also impacted. Hours later, Dublin Airport and Cork Airport, Ireland’s second-largest airport after Dublin, both reported that the problem was having a slight impact on them.
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Cybersecurity experts described the attack as “highly coordinated” and warned that the scale of disruption suggests involvement of a sophisticated group, possibly state-backed hackers. Investigations are ongoing, but early signs point to ransomware being used to lock down critical systems until a ransom demand is met.
As of 11:30 GMT, 29 airplane arrivals and departures have been canceled at Heathrow, Berlin, and Brussels, according to aviation data company Cirium. On Saturday, there were 651 scheduled departures from Heathrow, 228 from Brussels, and 226 from Berlin.
Heathrow issued a statement acknowledging the cyber-attack is “unprecedented technical incident” and urged passengers to check with their airlines before traveling. Similar warnings were echoed by European airports, with some carriers advising customers to postpone non-essential travel until systems are fully restored.
The cyber-attack situation was far from ended, as Brussels Airport revealed that it had ordered airlines to cancel over half of their scheduled departures on Sunday in an attempt to avoid crowding and reduce last-minute cancellations. A spokesman for the European Commission stated that although investigators had not yet discovered proof of a “widespread or severe attack,” the incident’s origin was still being closely investigated.
The disruption is expected to stretch into Sunday as IT teams work around the clock to patch vulnerabilities and bring systems back online. Industry analysts say the cyber-attack highlights the aviation sector’s increasing vulnerability to cyber threats, with growing reliance on interconnected digital infrastructure creating multiple entry points for hackers.
Berlin Airport said on its website that passengers were experiencing longer waiting times at check-in due to the cyber-attack, though it assured travelers that teams were working on a quick solution. In contrast, Frankfurt Airport Germany’s largest hub reported it was not affected, according to a spokesperson. The uneven impact of the cyber-attack across airports underscored the complexity of Europe’s aviation network and how disruptions in one system can ripple differently across regions.
The European Union’s cybersecurity agency (ENISA) has been alerted and is coordinating with national authorities to assess the broader risks. Officials emphasized the importance of investing in stronger digital defenses, noting that this incident could serve as a wake-up call for governments and companies alike.
For now, travelers across Europe are bracing for continued delays, while airlines and airports race to regain control of their systems. The full extent of the damage and who is behind it may not be clear for several days.