Heathrow was among several European airports hit by delays on Saturday after a cyber-attack affecting an electronic check-in and baggage system.
The airport said a number of flights were delayed as a 'technical issue' impacted software provided to several airlines.
Brussels Airport stated that a cyber-attack on Friday night resulted in passengers being checked in and boarded manually, while Berlin's Brandenburg Airport reported longer waiting times due to the issue.
RTX, which owns software provider Collins Aerospace, acknowledged a 'cyber-related disruption' affecting its system in select airports and mentioned efforts to resolve the problem quickly.
The company explained, 'The impact is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop and can be mitigated with manual check-in operations.'
It was noted that the Muse software, facilitating shared check-in desks and boarding gates for multiple airlines at airports, was impacted.
British Airways, operating as usual with a backup system, was among the few airlines unaffected, while most others at Heathrow experienced disruptions.
Shortly before midnight on Saturday, Heathrow announced it was working to 'resolve and recover' from the outage and apologized to travelers facing delays, highlighting that 'the vast majority of flights have continued to operate.'
The National Cyber Security Centre confirmed it was collaborating with Collins Aerospace, UK airports, the Department for Transport, and law enforcement to assess the extent of the impact.
Meanwhile, the European Commission stated it was 'closely monitoring the cyber-attack' but emphasized no signs of it being widespread or severe, offering support to airlines and airports for operation recovery.
Continued delays were reported throughout Saturday, with over hundreds of flights disrupted. Dublin and Cork airports mentioned a 'minor impact' with some airlines implementing manual check-in processes.
Passengers expressed frustration at delays, sharing experiences of queuing and system failures, while Heathrow reassured travelers of extra staff on-site to minimize the disruption.
Amid concerns, the government is urged to communicate its stance on possible links between the cyber attack and state-sponsored actors.
The incident underscores the vulnerability of the aviation industry to technological disruptions as travelers are advised to check flight statuses prior to arriving at the airport.
