Brussels Airport was hit by a massive cyber attack on Friday evening, causing flight delays and cancellations.
The incident, caused by a cyber attack on an external service provider, continued to disrupt operations on Saturday morning, forcing airport staff to process check-ins manually. This has resulted in significant delays and long queues.
The cyber attack targeted the systems used for check-in and boarding procedures, impacting several European airports, including Heathrow Airport and Berlin Brandenburg Airport.
A Brussels Airport spokesperson said the service provider is “actively working on resolving the issue as soon as possible.”
In the meantime, check-in and boarding procedures are being handled manually, causing significant disruptions to flight schedules.
An estimated 35,000 passengers are scheduled to depart from Brussels Airport on Saturday. Travellers are advised to check their flight status before heading to the airport and only go if their trip is confirmed.
Passengers are also reminded to arrive at the airport on time — two hours in advance for Schengen flights and three hours for non-Schengen flights — and to stay updated through airport announcements.
Brussels Airlines flights delayed but not cancelled
No Brussels Airlines flights departing from Brussels Airport were cancelled on Saturday, but long-haul flights have been spaced out, causing delays.
“Our teams anticipated the issue as early as Friday evening,” said Joëlle Neeb, spokesperson for Brussels Airlines. She explained that the airline’s self-service bag drop system operates independently of Brussels Airport’s disrupted system.
“This means passengers with boarding passes, who registered online, can scan their passes to print baggage tags and drop off their luggage on the conveyor belt.”
“For passengers not yet checked in on Saturday morning and travelling within the Schengen area, where passport details aren’t required, we handled the process ourselves,” added Neeb. “When they arrived at the airport, they could use the automatic bag drop system with their boarding passes.”
Brussels Airlines has spaced out its long-haul flights departing from Brussels Airport, resulting in delays for most of these flights.
