[German]It has affected the next (semi-)critical infrastructure. An airport service provider (according to my information, Collins Aerospace) operating across Europe was apparently hit by a cyberattack. This caused major delays in check-in at BER Airport (Berlin-Brandenburg International) because everything had to be done manually. Brussels and London Heathrow are also struggling with check-in problems and resulting delays.
I heard about it briefly on the radio while having breakfast, but I haven't had time to look into it yet. Apparently there are massive problems with check-in at Berlin's BER airport. But it also affects London Heathrow and Brussels Airport – as well as Münster Airport (Germany). See also this German article: Verspätungen am Flughafen BER nach Cyberangriff auf Dienstleister.
The airports in Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, Hanover, Dresden, Leipzig/Halle, Düsseldorf, Bremen, and Cologne reported in the morning that they were not affected. Operations were running normally, with no restrictions. In Münster, certain servers at the airport were shut down at around 10:00 p.m. on September 19, 2025, and then the airport's own systems were put into operation, as reported here.
Report on the BER website
Information about the cyberattack on BER Airport is currently scarce. The BER website refers to a "technical malfunction" at BER Airport:
**** Aufgrund einer technischen Störung bei einem europaweit eingesetzten Systemanbieter kommt es zu längeren Wartezeiten beim Check-in. Wir arbeiten an einer raschen Lösung. ***
*** Due to a technical malfunction at a system provider used throughout Europe, there are longer waiting times at check-in. We are working on a quick solution. ***
BER spokesperson Axel Schmidt confirmed to media outlets such as rbb that IT problems at an external service provider mean that check-in can no longer be carried out automatically. All passenger data must be entered manually. The recommendation is to check the airport's information pages for the status of your connection. According to the airport, online check-in is working.
Cyberattack on Collins Aerospace
According to BER and London Heathrow, the service provider in question is Collins Aerospace. The company confirmed to the German Press Agency that there had been a "cyber-related disruption" at several airports. "We are actively working to resolve the issue and restore full functionality for our customers as quickly as possible." According to the BER press spokesman, it is not yet clear when the disruptions will be resolved. The airport has formed a crisis team and is working on its own solution, Schmidt told RBB 24.
The Muse software used by Collins Aerospace, which enables different airlines to use the same check-in counters and gates at an airport instead of using their own systems, is believed to be affected. According to Collins Aerospace (or its parent company RTC), the impact of the cyberattack is limited to electronic check-in and baggage drop-off. Only manual check-in remains available.
Collins Aerospace was founded in 2018 and is a US aerospace and defense technology company and a subsidiary of RTX Corp., formerly Raytheon Technologies. Collins offers technology that allows passengers to check in at a kiosk, print boarding passes and baggage tags, and check their own baggage.
More airports in Europe affected
This disruption at service provider Collins Aerospace is affecting several airports in Europe. The BBC has confirmed that London Heathrow Airport is experiencing check-in problems due to the cyberattack on the service provider.
The BBC also reports that, according to a statement, Brussels Airport is manually checking in passengers and boarding them due to a cyberattack on Friday evening (September 19, 2025).
The European air safety organization Eurocontrol announced that airlines had been asked to cancel half of their flights to and from the airport between 4:00 a.m. GMT on Saturday and 2:00 a.m. on Sunday due to the disruption.
According to the flight tracking service Flight Aware, there were almost 100 delays to and from the airport by 10:00 a.m. BST on Saturday.
