Chaos at European Airports Due to Widespread Cyber Attack

Air traffic at several major European airports experienced disruption this Saturday morning after a passenger registration system service provider was hit by a cyber attack on Friday evening, leading to partial paralysis of check-in and boarding operations, as well as delays and cancellations of numerous flights.

In Germany, Berlin Brandenburg International Airport announced that the technical failure was caused by a cyber breach affecting the systems of an external company responsible for passenger registration services.

According to a statement from the airport management, the attack was not directed against the airport itself but affected it indirectly by paralyzing the systems linked to passenger registration.

The airport confirmed that waiting times would significantly increase at check-in and boarding, with expectations of delays and cancellations of some flights, stressing the need for travelers to be patient and to check their flight schedules in advance.

The impact was not limited to the German capital, as the repercussions of the attack extended to other European airports, including Brussels International Airport in Belgium, where the airport confirmed on its website that the failure caused a complete disruption of passenger registration and boarding operations.

The airport indicated that procedures are currently being conducted entirely manually, leading to severe delays and potential disruptions in flight schedules, urging passengers to check their flight status before heading to the airport and to arrive as early as possible if their flight is still scheduled.

Brussels Airport also clarified that the attack affected the same service provider used in other European airports, indicating that the failure is not localized but widespread.

For its part, Heathrow Airport in London announced the possibility of delays in some flights as well, but described the malfunction as a "technical issue" related to the check-in and boarding systems provided by an external entity for several airlines operating at the airport.

Heathrow Airport confirmed that technical teams are currently working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, without providing additional details about the extent of the problem's connection to the cyber attack itself.

In light of these developments, efforts continue to address the malfunction and restore the affected systems as quickly as possible.

However, as of now, the full picture of the extent of the damage remains unclear, especially since several European airports have not yet issued official statements regarding the extent of their impact.

It is noted that the targeted systems are used in several European airports, raising concerns about the potential for the impact to extend to more destinations if the malfunction is not controlled soon.