Ransomware Attack Disrupts Major European Airports and Exposes Supply Chain Risks

On September 19, 2025, several major European airports experienced widespread disruption after a ransomware attack targeted systems supplied by Collins Aerospace. The breach affected the vMUSE check-in and boarding software used by airports, including Berlin Brandenburg, Heathrow in London, Brussels, and Barcelona. Passenger check-in and boarding systems failed intermittently, forcing staff to revert to manual procedures and causing hundreds of flight delays and cancellations.

The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity issued a statement on September 22, 2025, confirming that the incident involved ransomware and that initial findings pointed to exploitation of a vulnerability in a recent update to the affected software. Investigation teams from national authorities and industry partners were mobilized to contain the incident and restore services. Some airports reported partial recovery of their IT systems in early October after coordinated emergency maintenance and security checks.

Operational impact varied by airport. Brussels Airport reported about 60 cancelled flights on the peak day, while Berlin saw prolonged queues and delays amplified by a concurrent public event in the city. Ground staff in several locations used tablets and handwritten logs as temporary workarounds while back-end systems were repaired. Airlines and ground handlers described the response as a difficult but necessary shift to manual processes to preserve safety and continue operations.

Cybersecurity experts said the attack underscores a broader risk facing aviation and other critical infrastructure. The disruption did not target aircraft systems but targeted third-party IT services that link many airports. Researchers and industry officials noted that overreliance on common vendors can turn a single compromise into a regional outage.

Industry and government voices called for several immediate measures. These include network segmentation to contain breaches, stronger data encryption and frequent secure backups, mandatory security audits for vendors of critical systems, routine penetration testing to surface vulnerabilities before attackers exploit them, and improved incident information sharing between vendors, airports, and regulators.

Collins Aerospace said it was cooperating with investigators and working to patch the vulnerability and restore full service. European regulators emphasized that the event highlighted the need for stronger supply chain security and clearer obligations for technology providers serving aviation.

The incident has renewed attention to the resilience of digital supply chains. As airports adopt more integrated IT systems to improve efficiency, the aviation sector faces a parallel requirement to strengthen cybersecurity so that gains in automation and connectivity do not come at the cost of systemic vulnerability.

For travelers, the impact of such an event goes far beyond a few hours of delay or a missed flight. A canceled meeting, a postponed surgery, or a lost business deal can cost far more than any airline ticket. For high-profile individuals with tight schedules, such as executives, government officials, doctors, or emergency response teams, this kind of disruption can disrupt critical operations and decisions.

And, in a slightly sarcastic tone, perhaps those whose time is too precious for airport chaos should start thinking about getting their own private jets equipped with “cyber-shielded systems.” After all, in today’s world, digital security is an integral part of travel security, and those who ignore it may find themselves paying a high price for just one disrupted journey.