So, imagine you're standing in line at London Heathrow, leaning on your suitcase, maybe scrolling through your phone, thinking about that first espresso in Rome or a beer in Berlin. Suddenly, the screens go dark. Then they turn red. Or they just freeze on a flickering Windows logo from 2012. That’s not just a "glitch." It’s exactly what happened when a massive cyberattack disrupts check-in systems at major european airports, turning some of the world’s most advanced transit hubs into chaotic waiting rooms.
Honestly, it’s the kind of stuff you usually see in a techno-thriller, but for thousands of travelers at Heathrow, Brussels, and Berlin’s Brandenburg, it was a very real, very annoying Saturday morning.
Why a Single Point of Failure Grounded Thousands
We like to think of airports as these impenetrable fortresses. We take off our shoes, we empty our water bottles, and we go through the X-ray. But the digital side? That’s a whole different story. The reason this specific cyberattack disrupts check-in systems at major european airports was so effective wasn't because someone hacked "The Airport" itself.
They hacked a company called Collins Aerospace.
Specifically, the target was a piece of software called MUSE (Multi-User System Environment). This is the "middleman" software. It’s the platform that allows different airlines—like Lufthansa, British Airways, or Etihad—to use the same check-in desks and bag-drop kiosks. When MUSE went down on that Friday night, September 19, 2025, it took the automated logic of the airport with it.
The Breakdown by the Numbers
- Brussels Airport: The hardest hit. They ended up cancelling about 45 outbound flights on the Sunday following the Friday night hit.
- London Heathrow: Mostly sub-hour delays, but Terminal 4 was a mess. People were waiting three-plus hours just to drop a bag.
- Berlin Brandenburg: They had to disconnect systems entirely to stop the "infection" from spreading, leading to massive manual queues during a busy marathon weekend.
- Dublin Airport: Terminal 2 saw significant baggage processing "blackouts."
It’s kinda wild when you think about it. One software provider in the US gets hit, and a family in Belgium can’t go on vacation.
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The Return of the Pen and Paper
When the "blue screen of death" hits the kiosk, what do you do? You go old school.
I talked to some folks who were there, and the scenes were pretty surreal. Airline staff were literally hand-writing baggage tags. Can you imagine? In 2026, with all our AI and automation, we were back to using Sharpies and stickers. At Heathrow, Maria Casey, a traveler heading to Thailand, reported that only two desks were staffed because most airlines had moved to "self-service" models years ago.
When the self-service dies, there’s nobody left to man the desks.
This is the "efficiency trap." We’ve optimized airports so much that there’s no "human buffer" left when the computers quit. Brussels Airport spokesperson Ihsane Chioua Lekhli noted that teams had to pull out literal backup laptops and alternative systems just to get people through the gate. It worked, mostly, but it was slow. Painfully slow.
Who Is Behind the Screen?
Everyone wants to know: was it a bored teenager, a criminal gang, or a state-sponsored group?
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The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) eventually pointed toward ransomware. This wasn't just "vandalism," though some experts like James Davenport from the University of Bath initially thought it looked like it. It was a targeted strike on the supply chain.
By hitting Collins Aerospace (a subsidiary of RTX Corp), the attackers didn't have to hack 50 different airports. They just had to hack the one company they all use. It’s a "force multiplier" for hackers. If you're a criminal, why rob one house when you can steal the master key to the whole neighborhood?
The Geopolitical Context
We can't ignore the timing. Aviation cyberattacks have skyrocketed by 600% between 2024 and 2025. Groups like "KillNet" or "NoName57(16)" have been pestering European infrastructure for a while now. Whether it’s political retaliation or just a grab for a multi-million dollar ransom, the result is the same: you’re stuck sitting on the floor of Terminal 5 eating a stale $12 sandwich.
What This Means for Your Next Flight
If you think this is a one-off, think again. The aviation industry is a "prime target" because the cost of downtime is insane. Experts estimate that one hour of operational disruption at a major hub costs about $1 million.
Hackers know this. They know that if they freeze the check-in system, the pressure on the airport to pay the ransom is astronomical.
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How to Protect Your Trip
So, what do you actually do when a cyberattack disrupts check-in systems at major european airports? You can't stop the hackers, but you can stop them from ruining your week.
- Download the Offline Boarding Pass: Don't rely on the app to refresh at the gate. Take a screenshot or save it to your Apple/Google Wallet. If the airport's Wi-Fi or the airline's backend is under stress, your "live" ticket might not load.
- Print Your Documents: Yeah, I know, it’s 2026. But when the systems go manual, the person with a paper printout of their booking reference is the one who gets processed first.
- Check-In 24 Hours Early: Most of these attacks hit the "on-site" systems (like the desks and kiosks). If you've already checked in at home and have no checked bags, you can often bypass the mess entirely.
- AirTag Everything: If the baggage system is hit, manual sorting is a nightmare. Having an AirTag in your suitcase lets you tell the airline exactly where your bag is sitting while they're still looking at a blank computer screen.
The Future of "Digital Resilience"
The industry is scrambling. We're seeing a shift toward "Zero Trust" architectures where every kiosk and every terminal has to constantly re-verify itself. But the real problem is the legacy tech. A lot of airport infrastructure is built on top of systems that are decades old. Patching them is like trying to put a Tesla engine in a 1994 Honda Civic.
Honestly, we're probably going to see more of this before it gets better. As long as airports rely on a handful of third-party vendors for their "brains," those vendors will have targets on their backs.
Next time you head to the airport, maybe pack a book. And a charger. And a lot of patience. Because in the world of modern travel, the "cloud" is a lot more fragile than the planes flying through it.
Next Steps for the Prepared Traveler:
If you're flying through Europe soon, check the Eurocontrol website or the "Live" status page of your specific airport before you leave for the terminal. If you see reports of "technical issues" or "system outages," arrive at least four hours early. Manual check-in takes about five times longer than the automated version.