Cyberattack disrupts check-in systems at major European airports

LONDON (AP) — A cyberattack targeting check-in and boarding systems disrupted air traffic and caused delays at several of Europe’s major airports on Saturday.

While the impact on travelers appeared to be limited, experts said the intrusion exposed vulnerabilities in security systems.

The disruptions to electronic systems initially reported at Brussels, Berlin's Brandenburg and London's Heathrow airports meant that only manual check-in and boarding was possible. Many other European airports said their operations were unaffected.

“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,” said Brussels Airport in a statement, initially reporting a “large impact” on flight schedules.

Airports said the issue centered around a provider of check-in and boarding systems — not airlines or the airports themselves.

Collins Aerospace, whose systems help passengers check themselves in, print boarding passes and bag tags and dispatch their luggage from a kiosk, cited a “cyber-related disruption” to its MUSE (Multi-User System Environment) software at “select airports.”

It was not immediately clear who might be behind the cyberattack, but experts said it could turn out to be hackers, criminal organizations, or state actors.

Travel analyst Paul Charles said he was “surprised and shocked” by the attack that has affected one of the world's top aviation and defense companies.

He said "it's deeply worrying that a company of that stature who normally have such resilient systems in place have been affected.”

“This is a very clever cyberattack indeed because it’s affected a number of airlines and airports at the same time — not just one airport or one airline, but they’ve got into the core system that enables airlines to effectively check in many of their passengers at different desks at different airports around Europe,” he told Sky News.

As the day wore on, the fallout appeared to be contained.

Brussels Airport spokesperson Ihsane Chioua Lekhli told broadcaster VTM that by mid-morning, nine flights had been canceled, four were redirected to another airport and 15 faced delays of an hour or more. She said it wasn’t immediately clear how long the disruptions might last.

Axel Schmidt, head of communications at the Brandenburg airport, said that by late morning, “we don’t have any flights canceled due to this specific reason, but that could change.” The Berlin airport said operators had cut off connections to affected systems.

Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, said the disruption has been “minimal” with no flight cancellations directly linked to the problems afflicting Collins. A spokesperson would not provide details as to how many flights have been delayed as a result of the cyberattack.

The airports advised travelers to check their flight status and apologized for any inconvenience.

Some passengers voiced annoyance at the lack of staff. With many, if not most, checking in individually, airlines have reduced the number of people operating at the traditional check-in counters.

Maria Casey, who was on her way to a two-week backpacking holiday in Thailand with Etihad Airways, said she had to spend three hours at baggage check-in at Heathrow’s Terminal 4.

“They had to write our baggage tabs by hand,” she said. “Only two desks were staffed, which is why we were cheesed off.”

Collins, an aviation and defense technology company that is a subsidiary of RTX Corp., formerly Raytheon Technologies, said it was “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,” it said in a statement.

Still, experts said the attack pointed to vulnerabilities — ones that hackers are increasingly trying to exploit.

Charlotte Wilson, head of enterprise at cybersecurity firm Check Point, said the aviation industry has become an “increasingly attractive target” for cybercriminals because of its heavy reliance on shared digital systems.

“These attacks often strike through the supply chain, exploiting third-party platforms that are used by multiple airlines and airports at once,” she said. “When one vendor is compromised, the ripple effect can be immediate and far-reaching, causing widespread disruption across borders.”

Experts said it was too early to tell who might be behind the attack, and were trying to read some clues.

“It looks almost more like vandalism than extortion, based on the information we have,” said James Davenport, a professor of information technology at the University of Bath in England. “I think significant new details would have to emerge to change this view.”

Keaten reported from Lyon, France.

People walk by a departures board after a cyber attack caused delays at Brussels International Airport in Zaventem, Belgium, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Harry Nakos)

People stand in front of a departure board after a cyber attack caused delays at Brussels International Airport in Zaventem, Belgium, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Harry Nakos)

People stand in a line to check in after a cyber attack caused delays at Brussels International Airport in Zaventem, Belgium, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Harry Nakos)

An airport employee points at a departure board after a cyber attack caused delays at Brussels International Airport in Zaventem, Belgium, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Harry Nakos)

People at BER airport as a cyber attack has caused delays, in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. (Carsten Koall/dpa via AP)

People at BER airport as a cyber attack has caused delays, in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. (Carsten Koall/dpa via AP)

Lennart Karl scored in the ninth minute of added time to complete a dramatic comeback 3-2 win for Bayern Munich over Freiburg and keep his team on track for the Bundesliga title on Saturday.

Freiburg was heading for an upset win at 2-0 up in the 81st minute before Bayern's young midfielders changed the game, 20-year-old Tom Bischof scoring twice with low shots from distance and 18-year-old Karl slotting in a low cross from Alphonso Davies to turn the game on its head.

Harry Kane was out with an ankle issue ahead of next week's Champions League quarterfinal against Real Madrid and Nicolas Jackson was suspended so Serge Gnabry was tasked with leading the Bayern attack but made little headway.

Bayern's defense was at fault for Freiburg's opening goal, giving Johan Manzambi plenty of space to cut in from the left flank and line up a powerful shot past Manuel Neuer.

Back in the team after injury, Neuer made strong saves in the first half but blundered for Freiburg's second, leaping out of his goal to palm a corner straight to Freiburg striker Lucas Höler for an easy second.

Michael Olise missed a huge chance for Bayern but it was Bischof who made the breakthrough, scoring once from outside the area in the 81st, then again in added time as Freiburg was caught out by Bayern's quick corner routine. Davies' assist for Karl's winner marked an encouraging return from a hamstring injury for the Canada left back ahead of the World Cup.

Bayer Leverkusen surged back from 3-1 down to beat Wolfsburg 6-3 in an action-packed game which pushed relegation-threatened Wolfsburg closer to ending its 29-year stay in the top division.

Leverkusen's Spanish wing back Alejandro Grimaldo scored twice to move to 14 goals for the season in all competitions as he competes for a World Cup spot. Patrick Schick, Edmond Tapsoba, Ibrahim Maza and Malik Tillman also scored for Leverkusen.

Tapsoba's goal marked redemption after he'd conceded a penalty which allowed Christian Eriksen to score Wolfsburg's third, but the Leverkusen defender wasn't the only one to achieve that feat. Wolfsburg defender Joakim Maehle scored with a low drive in the 31st barely 10 seconds after the kickoff following a penalty conceded for his own foul.

Leverkusen stayed sixth and remained firmly in the Champions League race. Wolfsburg was 17th in the 18-team league and winless since January.

Antonio Nusa and Romulo made the most of Leipzig's few chances in a 2-0 win over Werder Bremen to stay on target for a return to the Champions League in fourth.

Leipzig got another boost as fifth-placed Hoffenheim was upset by Mainz 2-1. Union Berlin and Augsburg drew 1-1 and Franck Honorat's goal rescued a 2-2 draw for Borussia Moenchengladbach against last-placed Heidenheim.

Second-placed Borussia Dortmund played third-placed Stuttgart later Saturday.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Leverkusen's Ezequiel Fernández, left, and Wolfsburg's Vinicius de Souza Costa in action during the Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and VfL Wolfsburg in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday April 4, 2026. (Fabian Strauch/dpa via AP)

Bayern's Tom Bischof celebrates after scoring during the German Bundesliga soccer match between SC Freiburg and Bayern Munich in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, Saturday, April 4, 2026. (Tom Weller/dpa via AP)