European airports still struggling with the consequences of a cyberattack on check-in systems

Berlin, September 21 - Passengers at airports in Berlin and Brussels are still feeling the effects of Friday's cyberattack that hit check-in systems at several European airports. The outage is still causing delays and cancellations for several flights today, the AP and DPA agencies report. Brussels airport will also cancel half of Monday's departures due to ongoing check-in problems, Reuters reports.

While departure boards at London's Heathrow and Berlin-Brandenburg airports showed signs of smoother operations today, Brussels airport still faced significant problems. Its spokeswoman said 45 departures and 30 arrivals were canceled today, more than double the previous day, when 25 departures and 13 arrivals were canceled.

"Brussels Airport has asked airlines to cancel half of the 276 scheduled departures on Monday to avoid long queues and last-minute flight cancellations," an airport spokeswoman said.

Berlin-Brandenburg Airport is still expecting longer waiting times. Delays in departures cannot be ruled out, the airport warned passengers today. "We ask all passengers to prepare for this as best they can. The airport (...) is making every effort to keep the restrictions as small as possible," the airport said in a statement. At the same time, a spokesman pointed out that the airport is expecting an increased influx of passengers tonight and on Monday, especially from participants in the Berlin Marathon who will be trying to get home. "The alarm has not yet been lifted," a Berlin airport spokesman told DPA this afternoon, estimating that up to 95,000 people will use Berlin-Brandenburg Airport on Monday, compared to a normal Monday when 75,000 to 85,000 passengers arrive or depart.

It is still unclear who could be behind the cyber attack that took down the electronic check-in systems of the American company Collins Aerospace. Experts said hackers, criminal organizations or state actors could be involved.

Brussels airport spokeswoman Ihsane Chioua Lekhli clarified today that the cyberattack only affected computer systems at check-in counters, not the self-service kiosks where people can print boarding passes and baggage tags and drop off their bags. Lekhli also said that the system's supplier, Collins Aerospace, had not yet delivered a secure software update needed to restore full functionality.

Major airports in Brussels, London and Berlin have been hit by system outages since late Friday, complicating check-in and forcing airline staff to try alternative solutions such as manually filling out boarding passes or using backup computers. Airports in Dublin and Cork were also affected, according to Eurocontrol, a group of air traffic control authorities.

London's Heathrow Airport said today that most scheduled flights had been able to operate. "We apologise to anyone who has experienced delays, but thanks to our cooperation with the airlines, the vast majority of flights have been able to operate. We are continuing to work to resolve and restore operations following the Collins Aerospace system outage on Friday, which impacted check-in," Heathrow said in a statement today.

Czech press agency | WT.24