Brussels airport advises customers to only come to airport if their flight is confirmed
Brussels airport has issued advice for customers amid a cyber attack affecting its check-in services on Saturday morning.
The major transport hub said the attack would have a “large” impact on the flight schedule and would “unfortunately” cause delays and cancellations of flights.
In a statement on their website they wrote: “We advise passengers with a flight on Saturday 20 September to:
check their flight status with their airline before coming to the airport and only come to the airport if their flight is confirmed. Passengers with a confirmed flight should come to the airport in time (2 hours in advance for a flight withing the Schengen area and 3 hours for a flight outside the Schengen area) and follow the information channels of the airport for updates.”
Nicole Wootton-Cane20 September 2025 12:30
Passengers queue for ‘three hours’ to check bags in
Maria Casey, from Aldershot in Hampshire, was on her way to a two-week backpacking holiday in Krabi, southern Thailand, via Abu Dhabi.
But her Etihad flight departing at 9.30am from Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 4 was delayed and she ended up queuing for three hours as baggage check-in had to be done manually.
“They had to write our baggage tabs by hand,” she told the PA news agency.
“Only two desks were staffed, which is why we were cheesed off.
“Didn’t know then it was a cyber attack until four hours later.
She added: “Just got to go with the flow”.
Nicole Wootton-Cane20 September 2025 12:17
In pictures: Chaos at Heathrow airport as cyber attack delays flights
Travellers are facing disruption at Heathrow airport following a cyber attack (Tereza Pultarova)
Disruption at Heathrow Airport after a cyber attack (Tereza Pultarova)
Travellers are facing disruption at Heathrow airport following a cyber attack (Tereza Pultarova)
Nicole Wootton-Cane20 September 2025 12:01
‘If Collins can be hacked so easily then you have to question all suppliers’
A leading aviation figure has warned of possible future cyber attacks.
Paul Charles, chief executive of The PC Agency and former communications director of Virgin Atlantic, told The Independent’s Simon Calder: “Many in the industry are surprised that a company of the stature and scale of Collins Aerospace has been victim of such a cyber attack. It is one of the most experienced systems suppliers in the world to airports and airlines, and governments including the UK.”
The attack affected the “Multi-User System Environment” passenger processing system, know as MUSE.
Mr Charles said: “If Collins can be hacked so easily then you have to question all suppliers. I hope they’re able to get the MUSE software affected back online quickly, otherwise flights will be affected for many days to come.”
Nicole Wootton-Cane20 September 2025 11:42
Flight delays building across Europe
Simon Calder takes a look at the situation across Europe…
As airlines and airports struggle to contend with the cyber attack, flight delays across Europe are building – particularly at London Heathrow.
Three key early departures from the UK’s leading airport – to Lisbon, Amsterdam and Paris CDG – left between two and three hours behind schedule, meaning missed connections for many passengers.
Many other flights are delayed by over an hour from Heathrow, including Lufthansa departures to both Frankfurt and Munich; two Brussels Airlines flights to the Belgian capital; Vienna on Austrian Airlines; and Istanbul on Turkish Airlines.
If long-haul connections are missed as a result of delays, the airline must get passengers to their final destinations as soon as possible – and provide meals and accommodation as necessary while passengers are waiting.
Nicole Wootton-Cane20 September 2025 11:30
Transport secretary ‘monitoring situation’
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander has said she is “monitoring the situation” after the cyber attack.
“I’m aware of an incident affecting airline check-in and boarding, impacting flights at Heathrow and other European airports,” she said.
“I’m getting regular updates and monitoring the situation.
“If you’re flying at Heathrow today, check with your airline before travelling.”
Heidi Alexander (PA) (PA Wire)
Nicole Wootton-Cane20 September 2025 11:14
‘Deep concerns’ over cyber attack, travel expert says
Travel expert Paul Charles has been speaking on Sky News this morning. He said it was “staggering” a company the size of Collins Aerospace had been affected by a cyber attack.
“I think there will be deep concerns their systems have been tampered with in such a way,” he said.
He added Collins Aerospace was “at the heart of aviation” and it was “deeply worrying” that its systems had been compromised in such a way.
“I think what’s staggering this morning that somebody the size of Collins has been affected.”
He said the attack would affect traffic for at least the rest of the day, and possibly longer depending on how long it takes to get systems back online.
Nicole Wootton-Cane20 September 2025 11:00
Nearly 150 flights delayed and 4 cancelled from Heathrow
At least 145 flights have been delayed and 4 cancelled at Heathrow so far this morning, according to FlightRadar24.
However, these cancellations are not understood to be related to the cyber attack.
Nicole Wootton-Cane20 September 2025 10:38
Cancellations at Brussels airport
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.
Nicole Wootton-Cane20 September 2025 10:29
ANALYSIS: What rights do you have to compensation for cancelled 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…
Nicole Wootton-Cane20 September 2025 10:15