Air travellers are facing another day of disruption at several European airports including Heathrow, after a cyber-attack knocked out a check-in and baggage system.
There were hundreds of delays on Saturday after the software used by several airlines failed, with affected airports boarding passengers using pen and paper.
Brussels Airport said it had no indication yet when the system would be functional again and had asked airlines to cancel half their departing flights.
RTX, which owns software provider Collins Aerospace, acknowledged a cyber-related disruption to its systems at select airports and expressed hopes for a quick resolution.
The company identified its Muse software, which facilitates shared usage of check-in desks and boarding gates among airlines, as the affected system. However, it has not disclosed details on the cause of the disruption or the expected duration.
Heathrow announced that efforts were ongoing to resolve the issue, apologizing for the delays while noting the majority of flights continued to operate. Passengers are advised to check flight statuses before heading to the airport.
British Airways reportedly continued operations using a backup system, while the outage affected most other airlines servicing Heathrow.
Queues of up to two hours were reported by passengers as extra staff were deployed to aid in the check-in process.
Brussels Airport plans to continue manual check-in procedures and anticipates additional cancellations and long wait times.
The European aviation authority Eurocontrol has recommended that airlines cancel half their schedules in response to the disruption.
Similar issues have been reported at Dublin Airport, while Berlin Brandenburg Airport is encouraging travelers to use online check-ins during the outage.
A spokesperson from the National Cyber Security Centre indicated they are collaborating with Collins Aerospace and relevant stakeholders to assess the impact of the cyber-incident.
The European Commission is monitoring the situation, with officials stating there is no indication of widespread or severe repercussions. UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is also receiving regular updates on the matter.
This incident follows a recent instance in July when a significant IT crash caused aviation disruptions globally, highlighting vulnerabilities within the aviation sector's digital infrastructure.
