Europe’s busiest airports fell into chaos this week. Heathrow in London, Brandenburg in Berlin, and Brussels in Belgium couldn’t use their check-in or boarding systems after a cyberattack hit the software behind the scenes. Flights were delayed, baggage piled up, and passengers waited for hours with almost no guidance. This wasn’t a random crash. It hit the software that runs the system, not the airlines themselves. Millions of travelers suddenly faced the real consequences of a network that has been left exposed for years.
Brussels Airport confirmed the attack:
“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. This has a large impact on the flight schedule and will unfortunately cause delays and cancellations of flights.” Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/news/cyberattack-disrupts-check-in-systems-at-major-european-airports/ar-AA1MWK9m
A cyberattack on a key service provider forced check-ins and boarding to go manual at Brussels Airport (Belgium), Berlin Airport (Germany), and Heathrow Airport (UK), causing widespread flight delays/cancellations. #EU
Automated systems are still down as recovery continues. pic.twitter.com/bFtvqNrcSt
— GeoTechWar (@geotechwar) September 20, 2025
The system that went down belongs to Collins Aerospace, a part of RTX Corporation. Their MUSE software controls everything from check-in kiosks to boarding passes to baggage tags. When it failed, airports had no backup plan. Staff had to handle everything by hand. Heathrow brought in extra people, but delays kept stacking. Cirium, the aviation analytics firm, reported:
“Today, 20 September 2025, has seen a total of 16 departures cancelled so far, across Heathrow (LHR), Berlin (BER) and Brussels (BRU). There have also been 13 arrivals cancelled, across the three airports.” Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/heathrow-airport-cyber-attack-flights-london-brussels-berlin-live-b2830382.html
Passengers described long lines, handwritten baggage tags, and little information. Heathrow called it a “technical issue” at Collins Aerospace but would not say how many flights were affected. Berlin warned of “longer waiting times at check-in due to a technical issue at a system provider operating across Europe.” Frankfurt and Zurich avoided major problems because they use different systems.
Paul Charles, former communications director at Virgin Atlantic, said:
“Many in the industry are surprised that a company of the stature and scale of Collins Aerospace has been victim of such a cyber attack. It is one of the most experienced systems suppliers in the world to airports and airlines, and governments including the UK. If Collins can be hacked so easily then you have to question all suppliers.” Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/heathrow-airport-cyber-attack-flights-london-brussels-berlin-live-b2830382.html
This was not a glitch. It was a breach. The software that moves millions of passengers failed. If this system can be taken offline, other critical networks could be next—flight planning, air traffic control, even customs. Governments have spent billions on airport security, but almost nothing protects the digital backbone.