Brussels airport’s operator has ordered airlines to cancel half their planned departures at least until the end of 22 September, as it continues to experience disruption from cyberattack on its check-in and boarding systems.
The airport has issued a NOTAM instructing carriers to make the 50% capacity cut ”due to an IT system disruption”.
Pan-European air navigation agency Eurocontrol has confirmed the limitation.
It adds that “similar issues” are affecting London Heathrow, Berlin Brandenburg and Dublin airports, and “operational measures may be required”.
Brussels airport’s operator has identified Collins Aerospace, the external provider of its check-in and boarding systems, as the target of the cyberattack, which took place at night on 19 September.
“The service provider is actively working on the issue and trying to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. At the moment it is still unclear when the issue will be resolved,” it adds.
It is advising passengers to check their flight status with airlines prior to travelling.
Brussels airport has had to resort to manual processes. “This has an impact on the flight schedule and unfortunately causes delays and cancellations of flights,” the operator states.
London Heathrow’s and Berlin Brandenburg’s operators have also stated that the technical issue has resulted in disruption to services, including longer waiting times at check-in.
Some airlines at Dublin airport are using manual workarounds to issue baggage tags and boarding passes, the Irish capital airport’s operator states, with resulting delays. A number of flights at Dublin have been cancelled.
