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, said 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.
The Muse software—which allows different airlines to share check-in desks and boarding gates—was identified as the affected system. The company has yet to disclose specific details regarding the cause or expected duration of the outage.
Heathrow expressed ongoing efforts to resolve the situation and apologized for the delays, stressing that the vast majority of flights have continued to operate, urging passengers to check flight statuses and arrive at the airport in good time.
The BBC reports that British Airways operated normally at the airport using a backup system, while most other airlines were affected. Delays reached nearly 47% on Saturday, leading to extensive queues as extra staff assisted in check-in areas to mitigate disruption.
The situation remains fluid, with Brussels Airport continuing manual check-in operations and anticipating further delays into Sunday. Other European airports are also adapting to the ongoing technical issues, as airlines and airport officials navigate the interruptions.
As the investigation into the cyberattack progresses, security organizations, including the National Cyber Security Centre, are collaborating to assess the overall impact and prevent future incidents.
