Flights cancelled after cyber attack hits European airports as Heathrow warns of delays: Live updates

Simon Calder has been looking at the cancellations from Brussels Airport.

The Belgian capital appears to be hardest hit by the cyber attack.

There were long delays on Friday night, with many departures two hours late or more.

These are the flights that have been cancelled so far:

• Malaga (Friday, Vueling)

• Kigali (Brussels Airlines)

• Thessaloniki (Aegean)

• Lisbon (TAP Portugal)

The corresponding inbound legs have also been cancelled, meaning a total of 10 grounded flights.

If you are experiencing delays or cancellations at any of the airports affected by Saturday morning’s cyber attack, you may be entitled to some compensation.

Our travel correspondent Simon Calder has everything you need to know below…

EasyJet said it does not expect a system issue affecting airports including Heathrow and Brussels to impact its flight schedule for the rest of Saturday, after major European airports flagged delays due to a cyber attack.

“We’re aware of an IT system issue affecting a small number of airports,” a spokesperson told Reuters news agency.

“While we are currently operating as normal and do not expect this to impact our flying programme for the remainder of the day, we continue to monitor the situation closely.”

Collins Aerospace has issued a statement over the “cyber-related disruption” hitting European airports this morning.

They said the impact was affecting “select airports” and is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop.

A spokesperson told The Independent: “Thank you for reaching out. We have become aware of a cyber-related disruption to our MUSE software in select airports. We are actively working to resolve the issue and restore full functionality to our customers as quickly as possible.

“The impact is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop and can be mitigated with manual check-in operations. We will share more details as they are available.”

At least four flights have been cancelled at Brussels airport on Saturday morning as authorities deal with the fallout of the cyber attack.

These include the 10:25am service to Kigali and the 10:35am KLM flight to Amsterdam.

The disruption affecting major European airports on Saturday is linked to a cyber attack on one company, Collins Aerospace.

The American aviation and defence company is owned by parent business RTX, who also control aerospace business Pratt & Whitney and defence contractors Raytheon.

Collins Aerospace provides check-in and boarding systems for several airlines across multiple airports globally, including those impacted today.

Berlin Airport has warned there will be “longer wait times than usual” due to the cyber attack.

“Due to a technical issue at a system provider operating across Europe, there are longer waiting times at check-in,” it said in a banner on its website.

“We are working on a quick solution.”

Brussels Airport explained in a statement on its website that a cyber attack on Friday night has rendered automated systems inoperable.

Only manual check-in and boarding is available, the airport said.

“This has a large impact on the flight schedule and will unfortunately cause delays and cancellations of flights.

“The service provider is actively working on the issue and trying to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.”

London Heathrow has warned that passengers may face delays after a problem with a provider of check-in and boarding systems.

“Collins Aerospace, which provides check-in and boarding systems for several airlines across multiple airports globally, is experiencing a technical issue that may cause delays for departing passengers,” the airport wrote in a statement.

“While the provider works to resolve the problem quickly, we advise passengers to check their flight status with their airline before travelling.

“Please arrive no earlier than three hours before a long-haul flight or two hours before a domestic flight. Additional colleagues are available in check-in areas to assist and help minimise disruption.

“We apologise for any inconvenience.”

A number of airports across Europe, including London Heathrow, are experiencing disruption after a cyber attack on a third party system.

Brussels and Berlin have also been impacted by the attack, which has affected a number of airlines that run globally.

Stay with us as we bring you all the latest updates on the airport disruption throughout the day.