UK Transport Minister issues statement after cyber attack causes travel chaos at major airports across UK and Europe

Heathrow is one of the airports affected

A service provider for Brussels Airport in Belgium was hit by a cyberattack overnight, leaving check-in and boarding systems not working.

A statement released by the airport this morning said: "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.

"This means that at the moment only manual check-in and boarding is possible. The service provider is actively working on the issue and trying to resolve the problem as quickly as possible."

It added: " This has a large impact on the flight schedule and will unfortunately cause delays and cancellations of flights. We advise passengers with a flight on Saturday 20 September to:

• check their flight status with their airline before coming to the airport
• and only come to the airport if their flight is confirmed.
• Passengers with a confirmed flight should come to the airport in time (2 hours in advance for a flight withing the Schengen area and 3 hours for a flight outside the Schengen area)
• and follow the information channels of the airport for updates.

While not directly targeted, both Heathrow Airport and Berlin Brandenburg Airport are now also reporting issues with check-in and boarding systems.

Now UK Transport Minister Heidi Alexander says she is aware of the disruption and is monitoring what's happening.

She said: "I'm aware of an incident affecting airline check-in and boarding, impacting flights at Heathrow and other European airports.

"I'm getting regular updates, and monitoring the situation. If you're flying at Heathrow today, check with your airline before travelling."

A Heathrow Airport spokesperson said: "A third-party supplier providing check-in and boarding systems for several airlines across multiple airports is experiencing a technical issue, which may cause delays for departing passengers. The provider is working to resolve the problem quickly.

"Please check your flight status with your airline before travelling to the airport. Additional colleagues are available in check-in areas to assist and minimise disruption. We apologise for any inconvenience."

The latest update from Heathrow has been telling passengers to arrive earlier than usual to minimise disruption.

As per The Mirror, they said: “The key messages for our passengers are check with the status of your flights before turning up and if you can keep turning up three hours before long haul and two hours before domestic, that’ll help with congestion and the departure halls.”