European Airports Begin Recovery After Cyberattack Disrupts Thousands of Travelers

European airports are gradually resuming operations after a large-scale cyberattack crippled check-in systems, forcing the cancellation of dozens of flights and delaying thousands of passengers over the past two days.

At Brussels Airport, authorities said around one-fifth of scheduled departures on Sunday were canceled, while the remaining flights faced delays ranging from 30 to 90 minutes. Other hubs reported signs of stabilization, with systems slowly returning to normal.

In London, Heathrow officials confirmed that “the vast majority of flights” continued to operate thanks to close coordination with airlines. Dublin Airport said its services were running almost normally, though its technical teams remained on standby to support carriers still affected by the European-wide disruption.

The incident began Friday when multiple European airports reported failures in passenger check-in software supplied by U.S.-based Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of RTX (formerly Raytheon). The company said Saturday it was “working intensively” to restore full capacity to its systems as quickly as possible.

The attack highlights the aviation sector’s growing vulnerability to cyberthreats, as airports and airlines increasingly rely on interconnected digital systems to manage flight operations.

A report by French aerospace and defense group Thales in June 2025 revealed a staggering 600% surge in cyberattacks targeting aviation between 2024 and 2025. Experts warn that the trend is putting unprecedented pressure on airports and airlines to boost investment in cybersecurity defenses.

“Every disruption like this underscores the urgent need for backup systems and closer coordination between governments and tech providers,” said one European aviation security analyst. “Cyber incidents don’t just affect passengers—they ripple across global trade and supply chains.”

With air travel still recovering from the disruption, officials caution that while normal operations may soon resume, the sector faces a long-term challenge in fortifying its digital infrastructure against increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.