whose origin is still unknown, has affected this Saturday up to three airports in Europe, causing delays of up to ten hours, endless queues and even flight cancellations. In fact, the situation is such that in Brussels the airlines have had to cancel half of the flights with departure for this Sunday to avoid higher tails and last -minute cancellations, as the Belgian media have secured.
The affected airports in question have been the Brussels, Heathrow’s, London, and Berlin Branderbungo, in Germany. Also that of Dublin, in Ireland, has suffered incidents, as terminal 2 had to be evacuated by a “security alert”, although outside the cyber attack, as reported EFE. Meanwhile, the Münster/Osnabrück airport, also briefly affected by the incident, was able to fix the situation in just 30 minutes using its own backup system, so no important interruptions for passengers were recorded.
He Heathrow airport He has commented on his social networks that “Collins Aerospace, which provides billing and shipping systems for several airlines in multiple airports worldwide, is experiencing a technical problem that can cause delays to passengers who come out.” “While the supplier works to solve the problem quickly, we recommend to passengers to consult the status of their flight with their airline before traveling,” he added.
For his part, he reported that the attack It happened on Friday night September 19 And that, although measures were being taken to solve the problem, passengers could only perform the check-in and embark manually. “On the night of Friday, September 19 there was a cyber attack against the provider of billing and embarkation services that affected several European airports including Brussels,” they said. “This means that, for the moment it is only possible to bill and embark manually. The service provider is actively working on the problem and trying to solve it as soon as possible,” they added from the airport.
Finally, in Berlin, where they also work manually, they have reported that are trying to fix the situation. “We are trying to work with paper lists and marking pencil, but we try to solve it as soon as possible. Everything is taking longer,” said one of the spokesmen.
What is known about cyber attack
For now, the origin of cyber attack is unknown, however, it is known that cyber attacks now demand a ransom, as stated EFE. As the affected company has commented, Collins Aerospace, it is a “interruption“In their cybernetic systems that is affecting some airports, although they believe they will solve it quickly.
“The impact is limited to electronic customer billing and luggage delivery can be mitigated with manual billing,” said the company, according to the BBC. In Brussels, where registration and shipping operations have had to be carried out manually due to the incident, Many travelers have appealed forming long lines waiting for some information about their flights. At least about 35,000 passengers have been affected today only since the Belgian capital.
For now, this Saturday, in Brussels, I They have already canceled at least nine flights, Four have been diverted and another fifteen have suffered delays of more than an hour. In Dublin, meanwhile, terminal 2 has had to evacuate after receiving a “security alert” on a “worrying” plane luggage, at 11:30 local time, as reported by the Irish Public Radiolevisión Irish Rté. Although later has been opened, the airport has warned that “some temporary interruptions may continue for the rest of the day.”
What flights are affected this Sunday
This Sunday, flights from the Brussels airport will continue to see their operations affected due to cyber attack on Friday. With the invoices and shipments manufactured manually, Incidents are expected to continue. Therefore, the airport has asked the airlines to cancel half of the flights scheduled to avoid more delays and long lines. The affected passengers must be prepared to perform the check-in manually and it is recommended to arrive with extra time.
In Heathrow, despite the fact that the impact of cyber attack was lower, there were cancellations and delays in a dozen round trip flights, affecting approximately 1% of the total scheduled flights. Although terminal 5, mainly operated by British Airways, did not suffer great setbacks, the airlines used by Collins Aerospace systems had to deal with technical problems. Passengers should consult the status of their flights before traveling and be prepared for possible delays or adjustments at the schedules.
Recommendations if your flight has been affected
- : Before leaving, consult the status of your flight on the website or APP of the airline. If the flight has been canceled or delayed, be sure to know the available relocation or compensation options.
- It arrives with extra time: Since manual operations are causing delays, it is advisable to reach the airport in advance to avoid unnecessary hurry.
- Stay informed: Follow the updates on the official pages of airports and in the social networks of your airline. This will allow you to know any last minute change in operations.
