Cyberattack Paralyzes Airports: Continued Long Wait Times

At some counters, queues had already formed early on Monday morning, said an airport spokesperson. Delays and flight cancellations as a result of the cyberattack had not occurred initially. However, this could change over the course of the day, it was said. Delays were also expected in Dublin, Brussels, and London.

Due to the return flights of thousands of marathon runners, Berlin Airport anticipated a significantly higher number of passengers on Monday. With 95,000 passengers, many more people were expected than on a normal Monday with 75,000 to 85,000. Passengers were still asked to check in online and, if possible, to drop off their luggage independently at the machines.

The external company, whose computer programs for check-in were the target of the cyberattack, informed the dpa that they were in the final stages of the necessary updates to make the system fully operational again.

Cyberattack: Dublin, Brussels, and London also affected

Passengers at the also affected airports in Dublin, Brussels, and London are still feeling the effects of the cyberattack days later. Brussels Airport, for example, has asked airlines to cancel half of the flights planned for Monday, according to their own statements. Guests are asked to arrive at the airport two to three hours before departure.

At London Heathrow, airport staff were still busy on Sunday trying to return to normal flight operations. In the afternoon, the airport informed passengers on its website that work to resolve the check-in disruption was ongoing. However, the majority of flights could take place as planned again.

The also affected airport of the Irish capital Dublin announced on Sunday that it was continuing to work on resolving the problems caused by the technical disruption. By midday, 13 flights had been canceled.

IT service provider attacked

The IT service provider Collins Aerospace became the target of a cyberattack on Friday evening, as confirmed to the German Press Agency. The background of the cyberattack remains unclear. Due to the attack, the airports in Berlin, Brussels, Dublin, and London Heathrow reported problems with passenger handling, as the air traffic control umbrella organization Eurocontrol announced. The other major German airports were not affected.

(APA/Red)

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