When the Sky Falls: How Hackers Grounded Europe's Biggest Airports

What happened when digital systems failed at 30,000 feet

The Scene: Friday Night Chaos

Imagine arriving at the airport to find:

All check-in screens completely black
Staff writing boarding passes by hand
Hundreds of travelers stuck in massive queues
Your flight? Cancelled.

This nightmare became reality on Friday, September 20th, 2025 when hackers launched a coordinated attack that brought Europe's busiest airports to their knees.

One target. One attack. Three major airports down.

The scary part? It could happen to any business that relies on digital systems.

What Actually Happened

Friday, September 20th - The Digital Dominos Fall

Late Friday evening: Hackers infiltrated Collins Aerospace's computer systems, targeting their MUSE check-in software that powers dozens of airlines across Europe.

The genius move: Instead of attacking each airport individually, they hit the one company that serves them all.

Result: Check-in systems crashed simultaneously at:

London Heathrow (29 flights cancelled by Saturday morning)
Brussels Airport (45 flights cancelled, 90-minute delays)
Berlin Brandenburg (complete manual operations)

Saturday, September 21st - Chaos Erupts

What passengers saw:

Black screens where flight information should be
Airport staff frantically writing boarding passes with pens
Security lines backing up for hours
No way to verify tickets or track baggage

What staff had to do:

Manually check every passenger against paper lists
Guess seat assignments without computer records
Hand-write baggage tags and hope for the best
Process thousands of angry travelers with 1990s methods

Airport screens down, staff doing manual check‑in

Official Response and Recovery Timeline

Collins Aerospace Statement: Parent company RTX acknowledged a "cyber-related disruption" affecting "select airports" and said it was working to resolve the issue quickly.

UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander: "I'm aware of an incident affecting airline check-in and boarding... I'm getting regular updates and monitoring the situation."

European Commission Response: Officials said they were "closely monitoring the cyber attack" but noted no evidence of "widespread severe" impact.

Recovery Progress:

Saturday-Sunday: Gradual system restoration with continued delays
Monday, September 23rd: Most systems back online, but passenger disruption continues
Ongoing: Investigation by European cybersecurity agencies and law enforcement

Why This Attack Was So Effective

The Supply Chain Strategy

Instead of breaking into individual airports (which would be harder), hackers targeted one company that powers them all.

Think of it like poisoning the water company instead of breaking into each house separately.

The result: Maximum damage with minimum effort.

Perfect Timing and Target

Why Collins Aerospace MUSE system?

Powers check-in for dozens of major airlines
Single point of failure for entire airport operations
When it goes down, everything stops
No meaningful backup systems in place

Why Friday night?

Weekend travel peaks mean maximum passenger impact
Fewer IT staff available for emergency response
More pressure for quick ransom payment
Maximum media coverage and chaos

The Hidden Business Lesson

This wasn't just an airport story - it's a warning for every business.

Your Business Probably Looks Like This:

System You Depend On	What Happens If It Fails
Payment Processing	Can't accept credit cards, lose all sales
Customer Database	No access to client information or order history
Email/Communication	Can't reach customers, suppliers, or staff
Inventory Management	Don't know what you have in stock
Accounting Software	Can't process payroll, invoices, or payments

The Questions You Should Ask Right Now:

What if our main software stopped working tomorrow?
Could we serve customers without computers for a day? A week?
Do we know which third-party companies power our critical systems?
What's our backup plan if our suppliers get hacked?

Most businesses can't answer these questions. That's the real problem.

What Airports Should Have Done (And Didn't)

Missing Backup Systems

No secondary check-in software from different vendors
Staff untrained on manual procedures
No paper-based backup processes ready to deploy
Complete dependency on single digital system

Poor Crisis Communication

Passengers left in the dark for hours
Conflicting information from airport vs airline staff
No clear timeline for resolution
Social media updates lagged behind reality

Inadequate Vendor Oversight

No real-time monitoring of Collins Aerospace system health
Unclear incident response coordination with software provider
Missing contractual requirements for cyber incident notification

How to Protect Your Business (Lessons from the Sky)

Step 1: Map Your Critical Dependencies

List every system your business needs to operate:

What software do you use daily?
Which suppliers power your essential operations?
What happens if each system fails?
Do you have alternatives ready?

Step 2: Build Real Backup Plans

For each critical system:

How would you operate without it for 24 hours?
Do you have manual procedures documented?
Are staff trained on emergency alternatives?
Can you switch to backup systems quickly?

Step 3: Monitor Your Vendors

Don't just trust - verify:

What's your vendor's cybersecurity track record?
How quickly do they notify customers of incidents?
What's their disaster recovery plan?
Do they have cyber insurance to cover your losses?

Step 4: Practice Emergency Scenarios

Monthly drills should include:

Operating without your main software
Communicating with customers during outages
Switching to backup systems
Coordinating with staff and suppliers

The Bigger Picture: Why This Matters

For Critical Infrastructure

This attack proved that shared digital systems create shared vulnerabilities. One company's security failure can cascade across entire industries.

For Businesses

The more digital your operations, the more vulnerable you become. But unlike airports, small businesses rarely have backup plans or manual alternatives ready.

For Hackers

This attack's success will inspire copycat attacks on other shared infrastructure providers. Expect similar incidents targeting payment processors, cloud services, and business software platforms.

Your Emergency Action Plan

This Week:

List your critical systems - What do you absolutely need to operate?
Identify single points of failure - Which systems have no backups?
Contact your key vendors - Ask about their cybersecurity and incident response
Document one manual process - Pick your most critical task and figure out how to do it without computers

This Month:

Get a cybersecurity assessment from a professional
Create written emergency procedures for your most important systems
Train your team on at least one backup process
Review your business insurance for cyber incident coverage

Before Year-End:

Implement monitoring for your critical systems
Establish relationships with backup vendors for essential services
Conduct quarterly emergency drills with your team
Create a communications plan for customer/supplier outages

The Wake-Up Call

The hackers who grounded Europe's airports exposed a harsh truth: Modern businesses are incredibly fragile.

One attack on the right shared system can bring down entire industries.

But here's what the airports got wrong - they had no Plan B. No backup systems. No manual procedures. No way to operate when the computers died.

Your business doesn't have to make the same mistake.

The companies that survive the next wave of cyber attacks won't be the ones with the best technology - they'll be the ones with the best backup plans.

Don't wait for your systems to crash to start preparing.

Worried your business could be next?

LimitBreakIT helps Malta companies build cyber resilience before attacks happen. We've helped dozens of businesses avoid disasters just like this airport incident.

📞 Emergency Cybersecurity Assessment: +356 9940 2975
📧 Quick Security Questions: security@limitbreakit.com
🛡️ 24/7 Incident Response: Emergency cyber support hotline

The next cyberattack is coming. The only question is: will your business be ready?