A cyber attack disrupted critical check-in and boarding systems at **Heathrow Airport**, leading to operational chaos. Around **70 flights were cancelled** on Saturday morning, while dozens more faced delays of **up to three hours**. The outage forced staff to revert to **manual check-in and boarding procedures**, significantly slowing down passenger processing. The incident also impacted **Brussels and Berlin airports**, suggesting the breach targeted a **shared third-party service provider** responsible for automated airport systems. Travel expert Simon Calder warned of potential **'widespread cancellations'** due to the ongoing disruption. The attack caused **financial losses** (refunds, compensations, operational costs), **reputational damage** (passenger frustration, media coverage), and **logistical strain** (staff overtime, rescheduling). While no data breach was explicitly reported, the **operational halt** and **cascading delays across multiple airports** highlight severe vulnerabilities in aviation infrastructure. The incident underscores risks tied to **supply chain cyber attacks**, where a single compromised vendor can paralyze major hubs.
Source: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/live-updates-major-uk-european-32516749
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/heathrow-airport
"id": "hea5202352092125",
"linkid": "heathrow-airport",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "9/2025",
"severity": "60",
"impact": "2",
"explanation": "Attack limited on finance or reputation"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'aviation',
'location': 'London, UK',
'name': 'Heathrow Airport',
'type': 'airport'},
{'industry': 'aviation',
'location': 'Brussels, Belgium',
'name': 'Brussels Airport',
'type': 'airport'},
{'industry': 'aviation',
'location': 'Berlin, Germany',
'name': 'Berlin Airports (unspecified)',
'type': 'airport'},
{'industry': 'aviation technology',
'name': 'Unnamed Service Provider',
'type': 'third-party vendor'}],
'customer_advisories': ['passengers advised to check flight status before '
'traveling'],
'description': 'Passengers flying from major UK and European airports, '
'including Heathrow, Brussels, and Berlin, are facing delays '
'and cancellations due to a cyber attack on a service provider '
'responsible for check-in and boarding systems. Around 70 '
'flights from Heathrow were cancelled on Saturday morning, '
'with dozens more delayed by up to three hours. Automated '
'systems were down, forcing staff to conduct manual check-in '
'and boarding procedures. Travel journalist Simon Calder '
"warned of potential 'widespread cancellations' due to the "
'disruption.',
'impact': {'downtime': 'up to 3 hours (for delayed flights; ongoing for '
'cancellations)',
'operational_impact': ['flight cancellations (~70 at Heathrow)',
'flight delays (dozens, up to 3 hours)',
'manual check-in/boarding procedures',
'potential widespread cancellations'],
'systems_affected': ['check-in systems', 'boarding systems']},
'response': {'communication_strategy': ['advisory for passengers to check '
'flight status before traveling'],
'remediation_measures': ['manual check-in and boarding '
'procedures']},
'stakeholder_advisories': ['passengers advised to check flight status before '
'traveling'],
'title': 'Cyber Attack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major UK and '
'European Airports',
'type': ['cyber attack', 'service disruption']}