Air traffic at Brussels Airport remains affected by a ransomware cyberattack that struck last Friday, disrupting check-in systems across Europe. On Wednesday 24 September, 6% of flights at Zaventem were cancelled, according to airport officials. The figure marks an improvement compared to Tuesday when cancellations reached nine percent, but operations are still far from normal.
The attack targeted Collins Aerospace, the American external service provider that operates check-in and boarding systems at Brussels Airport and several other major European hubs. The outage forced airports to revert to manual or alternative check-in procedures, slowing down passenger processing and creating longer queues at departure halls. Heathrow in London and Dublin Airport have also reported continued disruption linked to the incident.
Brussels Airport spokeswoman Ariane Goossens stressed that staff are working tirelessly to keep operations running. “We continue to rely on alternatives to traditional check-in procedures in order to ensure that most of the flights scheduled for departure are able to operate,” she told journalists.
Airlines adjust to keep passengers moving
Brussels Airlines, the largest carrier operating at Zaventem, has urged its passengers to make use of online check-in to avoid unnecessary delays at the airport. TUI fly, which uses its own independent check-in system, has been less affected. Despite these adjustments, passengers have been advised to carefully check the status of their flight before heading to the airport.
Airport authorities recommend that travellers flying within the Schengen Zone arrive two hours before departure, while those heading to destinations outside the zone should arrive three hours in advance. These extended recommendations reflect the slower processes caused by the absence of automated systems.
Pressures mount as disruption continues
The ransomware attack has created significant strain not only for passengers but also for airport staff, airlines, and ground handlers who have been forced to adapt to less efficient procedures. The airport has maintained more than 500 flights per day, transporting over 70,000 passengers daily despite the ongoing disruption.
“Thanks to the extraordinary dedication of our staff and the wider airport community, we have been able to maintain a high level of operations under exceptional circumstances,” Brussels Airport said in a press statement. “We are grateful for the patience and understanding shown by our passengers.”
The statement also made clear that Collins Aerospace has not been able to guarantee that its compromised systems can be restored in the near future. With no clear timeframe for recovery, Brussels Airport and its partners have opted to accelerate the introduction of a new technological solution.
New system to be deployed ahead of schedule
In a significant move to ensure continuity, Brussels Airport announced that it will begin deploying a new check-in and boarding system as of Monday 29 September. Originally scheduled to be rolled out in November 2025, the next-generation system requires the installation of new servers and 500 workstations across the terminal.
The project is being fast-tracked with close collaboration between Collins Aerospace and Brussels Airport’s IT experts. While such a rollout would normally take weeks, the teams are working to accelerate the process and connect airlines to the new system as quickly as possible.
To maintain predictability and ease the burden on staff, the airport has asked airlines to sustain the current level of cancellations, around ten percent, until Sunday 28 September. This measure, officials said, will allow the rollout of the new system to proceed in a controlled way while avoiding sudden surges of demand that could overwhelm manual procedures.
Broader implications for European aviation
The ransomware attack highlights the vulnerability of aviation infrastructure to cyber threats. Check-in and boarding systems are critical for the smooth functioning of airports, and their disruption has cascading effects on passenger flows, scheduling, and even international connectivity.
While Brussels Airport is taking swift action to bring forward its digital transformation, the incident raises questions about the resilience of global aviation systems in the face of increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks. Airports across Europe have been reminded of the importance of contingency planning and cybersecurity investment.
For passengers, the priority remains clarity and reliability. The ability of airlines and airports to communicate effectively during the disruption has been crucial in managing expectations and minimising chaos. Still, many travellers have experienced delays, cancellations, or missed connections over the past five days, underscoring the fragility of the network when a single provider is compromised.
With the rollout of the new system beginning next week, Brussels Airport hopes to restore full normality in the coming days. However, until the new infrastructure is fully operational, passengers can expect some level of disruption to persist.
Despite the challenges, airport officials remain optimistic. “Our ambition is to have the new system operational as quickly as possible,” the airport said. “We are confident that these measures will allow us to return to stable operations while providing the reliability our passengers and partners expect.”
