Heathrow among airports hit by delays after 'cyber attack' on check-in provider

London Heathrow, Brussels and Berlin airports are all experiencing delays and disruption following the "technical issue" affecting Collins Aerospace

Author: Mathilde Grandjean, PA Published 20th Sep 2025
Last updated 20th Sep 2025

Flights have been delayed and cancelled at airports including Heathrow after an alleged cyber attack targeted a service provider for check-in and boarding systems.

London Heathrow, Brussels and Berlin airports are all experiencing delays and disruption following the "technical issue" affecting Collins Aerospace, which works for several airlines at multiple airports across the world.

Heathrow said passengers should check their flight status before travelling to the west London airport.

Heathrow said: "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.

"While the provider works to resolve the problem quickly, we advise passengers to check their flight status with their airline before travelling.

"Please arrive no earlier than three hours before a long-haul flight or two hours before a domestic flight.

"Additional colleagues are available in check-in areas to assist and help minimise disruption. We apologise for any inconvenience."

Brussels Airport said: "There was a cyber attack on Friday night September 19 against the service provider for the check-in and boarding systems affecting several European airports, including Brussels Airport.

"This means that at the moment only manual check-in and boarding is possible.

"The service provider is actively working on the issue and trying to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.

"This has a large impact on the flight schedule and will unfortunately cause delays and cancellations of flights."

Brussels Airport has advised passengers to check their flight status with their airline and only travel to the airport if their flight is confirmed.

A statement on the Berlin Airport website said: "Due to a technical issue at a system provider operating across Europe, there are longer waiting times at check-in.

"We are working on a quick solution."

Collins Aerospace said it is working to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

It said: "We have become aware of a cyber-related disruption to our Muse software in select airports.

"We are actively working to resolve the issue and restore full functionality to our customers as quickly as possible.

"The impact is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop and can be mitigated with manual check-in operations.

"We will share more details as they are available."

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