Brussels, 20 Sept

A cyberattack targeting check-in and boarding systems has snarled air traffic and caused delays at some of Europe's top airports, officials said on Saturday.

The Brussels airport says the attack means that only manual check-in and boarding were possible there, and the incident was having a “large impact” on flight schedules.

“There was a cyberattack on Friday night, 19 September, against the service provider for the check-in and boarding systems affecting several European airports, including Brussels Airport,” it said in a statement.

Authorities at Berlin's Brandenburg Airport said a service provider for passenger handling systems was attacked on Friday evening, prompting airport operators to cut off connections to the systems.

London Heathrow Airport, Europe's busiest, said “a technical issue” affected a service provider for check-in and boarding systems.

“Collins Aerospace, which provides check-in and boarding systems for several airlines across multiple airports globally, is experiencing a technical issue that may cause delays for departing passengers,” Heathrow said in a statement.

The airports advised travellers to check their flight status and apologised for any inconvenience.

Formed in 2018, Collins is a US aviation and defence technology company and a subsidiary of RTX Corp., which was formerly Raytheon Technologies.

The company's system doesn't offer direct check-in for passengers, but provides the technology that allows passengers to check themselves in, print boarding passes and bag tags, and dispatch their own luggage, all from a kiosk.

No one was immediately available for comment at the UK base of Collins near London's second busiest airport, Gatwick.

The impact was felt only at some airports: the Roissy, Orly and Le Bourget airports in the Paris area reported no disruptions.