Latest News

Heathrow braces for second day of disruption after cyber-attack

Published

1 year ago

2025/09/21

Priyan

Travellers at Heathrow report multi-hour delays and long queues at check-in [BBC]

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, said it was “aware of a cyber-related disruption” to its system in “select airports” and that it hoped to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

It identified its Muse software – which allows different airlines to use the same check-in desks and boarding gates at an airport, rather than requiring their own – as the system that had been affected.

The company has yet to disclose what went wrong or how long it expects the outage to last.

Heathrow said on Sunday that efforts to resolve the issue were ongoing.

It apologised to those who had faced delays but stressed that “the vast majority of flights have continued to operate”, urging passengers to check their flight status before travelling to the airport and arrive in good time.

The BBC understands that British Airways has continued to operate as normal at the airport using a back-up system, but that most other airlines that service it had been affected by the outage.

There were hours-long queues on Saturday and some 47% of Heathrow’s departing flights were delayed, according to flight tracker FlightAware. Additional staff were at hand in check-in areas to help minimise disruption.

Naomi Rowan A close up of Naomi Rowan wearing a purple top and her dog Dusty in a hotel room. The pair take up most of the frame but you can still her pile of suitcases behind her on her left. — Naomi and her dog Dusty are staying in a hotel after being unable to fly on Saturday [BBC]

Naomi Rowan, from Sudbury in Suffolk, was supposed to be moving to Costa Rica with her dog Dusty, but both are now in a hotel after their Air France flight from Heathrow on Saturday was affected by the cyber attack.

She said staff were boarding passengers with pen and paper due to the outage but told her they were unable to board Dusty without the electronic system.

“I had a cry, booked a hotel and managed to get through to Air France on WhatsApp, who say the next available flight for me is Monday,” she said.

Lucy Spencer told the BBC that she had queued to check in for a Malaysia Airlines flight for more than two hours, and that staff had been checking passengers in over the phone.

Another passenger, Monazza Aslam, said she had to wait since the early hours of the morning with her elderly parents, and that the delays meant they had missed their connecting flight.

Brussels Airport said manual check-in would continue on Sunday and that extra staff had been drafted in to help minimise disruption.

It said 44 departing flights had been cancelled so far on Sunday, and that it anticipated long queues at check-in and further delays.

Europe’s combined aviation safety organisation, Eurocontrol, said airline operators had been asked to cancel half their flight schedules to and from the airport until 02:00 on Monday due to the disruption.

Meanwhile, Dublin Airport said that while the technical issues persisted and some airlines were continuing to check in manually, it was expecting to operate a full schedule on Sunday.

A spokesperson told the BBC: “Passengers are advised to contact their airline directly for updates on their flight.”

Dublin Airport previously said that Cork Airport, which is owned by the same parent company, had experienced a “minor impact” from the cyber-attack – but Cork Airport has since said it has faced no disruption with all services operating as normal.

Berlin Brandenburg Airport is asking travellers to use online or self-service check-in instead of the desks while the outage is ongoing.

It said there had been 12 cancellations in and out of the airport on Saturday, but that delays were generally less than 45 minutes.

EasyJet and Ryanair, which do not operate out of Heathrow but are among Europe’s biggest airlines, said on Saturday that they were operating as normal.

*Long queues and large crowds could be seen at Brussels Airport on Saturday morning [BBC]*

A National Cyber Security Centre spokesperson said on Saturday that it was working with Collins Aerospace, affected UK airports, the Department for Transport and law enforcement to fully understand the impact of the incident.

The European Commission, which plays a role in managing airspace across Europe, said it was “closely monitoring the cyber-attack”, but that there was no indication it had been “widespread or severe”.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander also said she was aware of the incident and was “getting regular updates and monitoring the situation”.

It was only last July that a global IT crash due to a faulty software update from cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike caused disruption to aviation, grounding flights across the US.

Analysts said at the time that the incident highlighted how the industry could be vulnerable to issues with digital systems.

***[BBC]***

Reuters Long queues and large crowds seen stretching across the terminal at Brussels Airport on Saturday morning — Naomi and her dog Dusty are staying in a hotel after being unable to fly on Saturday [BBC]

Naomi Rowan, from Sudbury in Suffolk, was supposed to be moving to Costa Rica with her dog Dusty, but both are now in a hotel after their Air France flight from Heathrow on Saturday was affected by the cyber attack.

She said staff were boarding passengers with pen and paper due to the outage but told her they were unable to board Dusty without the electronic system.

“I had a cry, booked a hotel and managed to get through to Air France on WhatsApp, who say the next available flight for me is Monday,” she said.

Lucy Spencer told the BBC that she had queued to check in for a Malaysia Airlines flight for more than two hours, and that staff had been checking passengers in over the phone.

Another passenger, Monazza Aslam, said she had to wait since the early hours of the morning with her elderly parents, and that the delays meant they had missed their connecting flight.

Brussels Airport said manual check-in would continue on Sunday and that extra staff had been drafted in to help minimise disruption.

It said 44 departing flights had been cancelled so far on Sunday, and that it anticipated long queues at check-in and further delays.

Europe’s combined aviation safety organisation, Eurocontrol, said airline operators had been asked to cancel half their flight schedules to and from the airport until 02:00 on Monday due to the disruption.

Meanwhile, Dublin Airport said that while the technical issues persisted and some airlines were continuing to check in manually, it was expecting to operate a full schedule on Sunday.

A spokesperson told the BBC: “Passengers are advised to contact their airline directly for updates on their flight.”

Dublin Airport previously said that Cork Airport, which is owned by the same parent company, had experienced a “minor impact” from the cyber-attack – but Cork Airport has since said it has faced no disruption with all services operating as normal.

Berlin Brandenburg Airport is asking travellers to use online or self-service check-in instead of the desks while the outage is ongoing.

It said there had been 12 cancellations in and out of the airport on Saturday, but that delays were generally less than 45 minutes.

EasyJet and Ryanair, which do not operate out of Heathrow but are among Europe’s biggest airlines, said on Saturday that they were operating as normal.

*Long queues and large crowds could be seen at Brussels Airport on Saturday morning [BBC]*

A National Cyber Security Centre spokesperson said on Saturday that it was working with Collins Aerospace, affected UK airports, the Department for Transport and law enforcement to fully understand the impact of the incident.

The European Commission, which plays a role in managing airspace across Europe, said it was “closely monitoring the cyber-attack”, but that there was no indication it had been “widespread or severe”.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander also said she was aware of the incident and was “getting regular updates and monitoring the situation”.

It was only last July that a global IT crash due to a faulty software update from cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike caused disruption to aviation, grounding flights across the US.

Analysts said at the time that the incident highlighted how the industry could be vulnerable to issues with digital systems.

***[BBC]***

All News Advertisement

Latest News

Showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Uva and Southern provinces and in Anuradhapura district

Published

1 day ago

2026/10/8

Priyan

WEATHER FORECAST FOR 08 OCTOBER 2026
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 08 October 2026 by the Department of Meteorology

Misty conditions can be expected at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Galle and Matara districts during the early hours of the morning.

Showers or thundershowers will occur in the most part of the island after 1.00 p.m. Heavy showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Uva and Southern provinces and in Anuradhapura district.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damage caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

Latest News

Former first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa arrested by CIABOC

Published

2 days ago

2026/10/7

Priyan

Former first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, wife of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was produced before the Hulftsdorp court, after being arrested by officers of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) and produce

Latest News

Smriti Mandhana appointed India captain across formats

Published

2 days ago

2026/10/7

Priyan

Smriti Mandhana looks on in the field [Cricinfo]

Smriti Mandhana has been named India’s all-format women’s captain on the same day Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down from the role after nearly a decade since she first took over.

Mandhana – vice-captain to Harmanpreet for much of this period – has previously led India in four ODIs and 18 T20Is, apart from captaining Maharashtra in domestic cricket and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Women’s Premier League.

Mandhana’s first assignment will be the limited-overs series against Zimbabwe beginning with the three T20Is in Raipur from October 16. On Tuesday, Mandhana was part of the selection meeting chaired by Amita Sharma to pick the squad for the tour.

Terming the appointment a “special honour”, Mandhana also acknowledged the contributions of her predecessor in her welcome note.

“I would also like to acknowledge Harmanpreet and the contribution she has made as captain over the years,” she was quoted as saying by the BCCI. “She has led the team with great commitment and has been an important part of our journey.

“I understand the responsibility that comes with this role and look forward to working with the team, learning along the way and giving my best to take Indian cricket forward.”

Mandhana’s appointment comes on the back of a review meeting held on Monday in Guwahati. Chaired by secretary Devajit Saikia, the meeting was also attended by Mandhana, Harmanpreet and head coach Amol Muzumdar to chart a roadmap forward, with an eye on next year’s inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy in February as well as the T20 World Cup and Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

Mandhana, India’s best all-format batter, has been knocking on the doors for a while. Earlier this year, she led RCB to their second WPL title, in which she also top-scored in the final.

In September, she overtook Mithali Raj to become the leading run-scorer in women’s international across formats. Her 18 international hundreds are also the most in women’s cricket. She is also the first Indian woman to score centuries in all formats.

[Cricinfo]