Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in Systems at Major European Airports

A cyberattack causes flight delays at the German capital's airport (File photo - Reuters)
A cyberattack causes flight delays at the German capital's airport (File photo - Reuters)
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Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in Systems at Major European Airports

A cyberattack causes flight delays at the German capital's airport (File photo - Reuters)
A cyberattack causes flight delays at the German capital's airport (File photo - Reuters)

 A cyberattack targeting check-in and boarding systems has disrupted air traffic and caused delays at several of Europe’s major airports, officials said Saturday. 

Brussels airport reported that the attack means that only manual check-in and boarding was possible there, and the incident was having a “large impact” on flight schedules, reported The Associated Press.

“There was a cyberattack on Friday night 19 September against the service provider for the check-in and boarding systems affecting several European airports including Brussels Airport,” it said in a statement. 

Authorities at Berlin’s Brandenburg Airport said a service provider for passenger handling systems was attacked on Friday evening, prompting airport operators to cut off connections to the systems. 

London Heathrow Airport, Europe’s busiest, said “a technical issue” affected a service provider for 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,” Heathrow said in a statement. 

The airports advised travelers to check their flight status and apologized for any inconvenience. 

Formed in 2018, Collins is a US aviation and defense technology company and a subsidiary of RTX Corp., which was formerly Raytheon Technologies. 

Collins provides the technology that allows passengers to check themselves in, print boarding passes and bag tags, and dispatch their own luggage, all from a kiosk. 

Collins said it was “aware of a cyber-related disruption” to its MUSE (Multi-User System Environment) software at “select airports” but that manual check-in operations could still be used. 

“We are actively working to resolve the issue and restore full functionality to our customers as quickly as possible,” it said in a statement. “The impact is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop and can be mitigated with manual check-in operations.” 

The impact was felt only at some airports: the Roissy, Orly and Le Bourget airports in the Paris area reported no disruptions. 



Katz: Israel Awaiting US Green Light to 'Return Iran to Stone Age'

FILED - 25 June 2024, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz is pictured in Jerusalem. Photo: Hannes P Albert/dpa
FILED - 25 June 2024, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz is pictured in Jerusalem. Photo: Hannes P Albert/dpa
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Katz: Israel Awaiting US Green Light to 'Return Iran to Stone Age'

FILED - 25 June 2024, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz is pictured in Jerusalem. Photo: Hannes P Albert/dpa
FILED - 25 June 2024, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz is pictured in Jerusalem. Photo: Hannes P Albert/dpa

Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that Israel was "prepared to resume the war against Iran", adding that his country was awaiting a green light from the United States to return Iran to "the Stone Age".

"The IDF is ready both defensively and offensively, and the targets have been marked," Katz said in a video statement.

"We are awaiting a green light from the United States -- first and foremost to complete the elimination of the Khamenei dynasty... and additionally to return Iran to the Dark Age and the Stone Age by destroying key energy and electricity facilities and dismantling its national economic infrastructure," he added.

The opening US-Israel attack of the war on February 28 killed Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, whose son later succeeded him but has yet to appear in public, creating speculation over his condition and if he is still alive.

"This time, when the attack resumes, it will be different and lethal, adding devastating blows at the most sensitive points -- following the tremendous strikes the Iranian terror regime has already sustained -- that will shake and bring down its foundations," AFP quoted Katz as saying.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced an indefinite extension of the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, which came into effect on April 8, to create space for talks with Tehran.

Plans for renewed negotiations in Pakistan hang in the balance.

The Middle East war has engulfed the region, leaving several thousand people dead, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, and continuing to destabilize the global economy.


Prince Harry, on Visit to Kyiv, Tells Putin to 'Stop this War'

Britain's Prince Harry steps off a train as he arrives, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at the railway station in Kyiv, Ukraine, April 23, 2026.  - Reuters
Britain's Prince Harry steps off a train as he arrives, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at the railway station in Kyiv, Ukraine, April 23, 2026. - Reuters
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Prince Harry, on Visit to Kyiv, Tells Putin to 'Stop this War'

Britain's Prince Harry steps off a train as he arrives, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at the railway station in Kyiv, Ukraine, April 23, 2026.  - Reuters
Britain's Prince Harry steps off a train as he arrives, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at the railway station in Kyiv, Ukraine, April 23, 2026. - Reuters

Britain's Prince Harry made an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Thursday and called on Russia's President Vladimir Putin to end the war - a week after a massive Russian aerial attack on the country - and on US President Donald Trump to show leadership to help resolve the conflict.

By convention, the British royal family do not speak out on political matters, although King Charles and other senior royals have regularly voiced their support for Ukraine. But Harry, on his third visit to the country since the war began, used far more explicit language than any of his relatives have done previously, Reuters reported.

"President Putin, no nation benefits from the continued loss of life we are witnessing. There is still a moment—now—to stop this war, to prevent further suffering for Ukrainians and Russians alike, and to choose a different course," Harry said in a speech to a Kyiv security forum.

He called on Washington to do more to bring about an end to the war.

"This is a moment for American leadership, a moment for America to show that it can honour its international treaty obligations," he said.

"Europe has stood up in profound ways," added Harry, a British Army veteran who served in Afghanistan. "The task now is to match endurance with speed, solidarity with scale, and commitment with consistency."

In his speech, which drew huge applause, he praised the Ukrainian people's resolve and the innovative response of its military, including its advanced drone capabilities.

On his two-day visit Harry is also expected to visit the de-mining HALO Trust charity, supported by his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, and spend time with Ukrainian participants of the Invictus Games Foundation he founded, which helps wounded veterans recover through sport, according to Britain's ITV.

"I am here as a soldier who understands service, as a humanitarian who has seen the human cost of conflict, and as a friend of Ukraine who believes the world must not grow used to this war or numb to its consequences," Harry said.


Trump Orders Military to ‘Shoot and Kill’ Iranian Small Boats Choking Strait of Hormuz

This screen grab taken from a screen recording of the MarineTraffic website on April 21, 2026, shows data visualisation of maritime traffic in the Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman from April 18 to April 20, amid a fragile US-Iran truce. Photo by MARINETRAFFIC.COM / AFP
This screen grab taken from a screen recording of the MarineTraffic website on April 21, 2026, shows data visualisation of maritime traffic in the Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman from April 18 to April 20, amid a fragile US-Iran truce. Photo by MARINETRAFFIC.COM / AFP
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Trump Orders Military to ‘Shoot and Kill’ Iranian Small Boats Choking Strait of Hormuz

This screen grab taken from a screen recording of the MarineTraffic website on April 21, 2026, shows data visualisation of maritime traffic in the Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman from April 18 to April 20, amid a fragile US-Iran truce. Photo by MARINETRAFFIC.COM / AFP
This screen grab taken from a screen recording of the MarineTraffic website on April 21, 2026, shows data visualisation of maritime traffic in the Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman from April 18 to April 20, amid a fragile US-Iran truce. Photo by MARINETRAFFIC.COM / AFP

US President Donald Trump has ordered the US military to “shoot and kill” Iranian small boats choking the Strait of Hormuz.In a social media post Thursday morning, he said the military is intensifying its mine clearing efforts in the critical waterway.

The move intensified the US-Iran standoff in the Arabian Gulf and raised questions about efforts to end the war.

Meanwhile, the US military said it seized another tanker Thursday associated with smuggling Iranian oil, the Majestic X, in the Indian Ocean, deepening confusion over efforts to end the war.

The seizure comes after a day after Iran attacked three cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz, capturing two of them. Ship-tracking data showed the Majestic X in the Indian Ocean between Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

The standoff between the US and Iran has effectively choked off nearly all exports through the Strait of Hormuz, where 20% of the world’s traded oil passes in peacetime, with no end in sight.