LONDON: A man in his 40&#39;s was arrested in southern England over an alleged cyberattack that disrupted several European airports in recent days, including at London Heathrow, law enforcement officials said Wednesday. The United Kingdom National Crime Agency said the suspect was held in West Sussex on Tuesday on suspicion of offenses involving the misuse of computers and was released on conditional bail.&nbsp;&ldquo;Although this arrest is a positive step, the investigation into this incident is in its early stages and remains ongoing,&quot; said Paul Foster, head of the NCA&rsquo;s national cybercrime unit. &ldquo;Cybercrime is a persistent global threat that continues to cause significant disruption to the UK&quot;&nbsp;Starting late Friday and lasting through the weekend, airports in Berlin, Brussels and London were hit by disruptions to electronic systems that snarled up check-in and sent airline staffers trying options like handwriting boarding passes or using backup laptops. Many other European airports were unaffected.&nbsp;The cyberattack affected the software of Collins Aerospace, whose systems help passengers check in, print boarding passes and bag tags, and dispatch their luggage.&nbsp;The US-based company on Saturday cited a &ldquo;cyber-related disruption&rdquo; to its software at &quot;select&rdquo; airports in Europe.&nbsp;It was not immediately clear who might be behind the cyberattack, but experts said it could turn out to be hackers, criminal organizations or state actors.&nbsp;The European Commission, the executive branch of the 27-nation European Union, said aviation safety and air traffic control were unaffected.

Europe

UK authorities arrested a man in West Sussex after a cyberattack disrupted airports in London, Berlin and Brussels. The attack, linked to Collins Aerospace software, caused widespread check-in chaos, though aviation safety remained unaffected, officials confirmed.

Man arrested in UK over alleged cyberattack that affected European airports

Reuters

BRUSSELS: Brussels Airport said half the departing flights scheduled for Sunday will need to be cancelled due to ongoing disruption following a cyberattack that hit several European airports. &quot;Brussels Airport has asked airlines to cancel half of the scheduled departing flights on Sunday 21 September in order to avoid long queues and late cancellations,&quot; a spokesperson for the Belgian airport said.

Brussels Airport asks airlines to cancel 50% of departing flights on Sunday

ISLAMABAD: A cyberattack targeting a service provider for check-in and boarding systems has disrupted operations at several major European airports including London&#39;s Heathrow, Brussels and Berlin, causing flight delays and cancellations, the operators said. The attack has rendered automated systems inoperable, allowing only manual check-in and boarding procedures, according to Brussels Airport. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&quot;This has a large impact on the flight schedule and will unfortunately cause delays and cancellations of flights,&quot; the operator said in a statement published on its website.&nbsp;&quot;The service provider is actively working on the issue and trying to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.&quot; Heathrow also warned of delays caused by &quot;a technical issue&quot; at a third-party supplier. Passengers with a flight scheduled for Saturday were advised by the affected airports to confirm their travel with airlines before heading to the airport.&nbsp;&quot;Due to a technical issue at a system provider operating across Europe, there are longer waiting times at check-in. We are working on a quick solution,&quot; Berlin airport said in a banner on its website. Frankfurt Airport is not affected by the attack, a spokesperson said.

People walk at Terminal 2 of the Heathrow International Airport, near London, Britain. (REUTERS)

Passengers with a flight scheduled for Saturday were advised by the affected airports to confirm their travel with airlines before heading to the airport. 

Articles tagged with "Brussels Airport"

Man arrested in UK over alleged cyberattack that affected European airports

Brussels Airport asks airlines to cancel 50% of departing flights on Sunday

Cyberattack causes disruption at European airports including Heathrow, Brussels