Heathrow Joins Dallas, Dublin, Los Angeles, Brussels, Berlin Brandenburg, And Atlanta As These Busiest Airports Face Cyberattacks And Technical Glitches That Cause Flight Cancellations And Travel Chaos

Published on September 21, 2025

By: Tuhin Sarkar

Heathrow, Dallas, Los Angeles, Dublin, Brussels, Berlin Brandenburg, and Atlanta person each faced specified challenges, starring to wide formation cancellations and chaos for travellers. These incidents item nan increasing vulnerabilities of captious airdrome systems and their reliance connected technology.

Cyberattacks, for illustration Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks aliases ransomware, person brought airdrome operations to a halt, while method failures person caused delays and confusion. As a result, passengers astir nan globe person knowledgeable agelong waits, missed connections, and heightened stress. Airports and airlines must now recognise these risks and fortify their defences to debar further disruptions. With recreation becoming progressively digital, nan request for enhanced cybersecurity and reliable systems has ne'er been clearer.

In caller years, airports astir nan world have faced superior disruptions owed to cyberattacks and method failures. These incidents person caused delays, cancellations, and awesome inconveniences for travellers. As nan world becomes much connected, airports and airlines are progressively susceptible to cyber threats that tin disrupt operations and put rider information astatine risk. This article explores nan astir important method glitches and cyberattacks astatine airports successful 2024 and 2025, highlighting nan challenges faced by airports successful securing their systems and ensuring soft operations.

Cyberattacks and Glitches Disrupt Airports successful 2024 and 2025

Cyberattacks person go a increasing interest successful galore industries, and nan aviation assemblage is nary exception. Airports are progressively targeted by hackers looking to disrupt operations, bargain delicate data, aliases origin chaos. In summation to cyberattacks, method glitches—such arsenic package failures aliases strategy breakdowns—can besides origin wide disruptions. In 2024 and 2025, respective awesome airports astir nan world faced these challenges, demonstrating really susceptible captious infrastructure tin beryllium to cyber threats and technological failures.

London Heathrow, Brussels, and Berlin Brandenburg Hit by Cyber Disruptions

One of nan astir important incidents successful 2025 occurred in London Heathrow Airport (LHR), Brussels Airport (BRU), and Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER). In September 2025, these airports knowledgeable monolithic delays and cancellations owed to a cyber-related disruption. The problem was traced backmost to a third-party work provider, Collins Aerospace, whose check-in and boarding package was targeted by cybercriminals.

The onslaught caused awesome issues pinch rider check-in, boarding processes, and formation scheduling astatine these awesome European airports. Passengers were forced to woody pinch agelong delays, while airlines struggled to negociate nan chaos. The incident highlighted nan vulnerability of airports to cyberattacks targeting third-party work providers, arsenic galore airports trust connected outer companies for captious systems for illustration check-in and boarding.

Los Angeles International Airport Faces a Large-Scale DDoS Attack

In March 2025, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), 1 of nan busiest airports successful nan world, was nan target of a large-scale DDoS (Distributed Denial-of-Service) attack. This onslaught disrupted respective systems astatine nan airport, including formation accusation displays, baggage handling, and physics check-in systems. A DDoS onslaught useful by overwhelming a strategy pinch excessive traffic, causing it to clang aliases go unresponsive.

The onslaught caused disorder and vexation for travellers, arsenic they were incapable to entree formation accusation aliases cheque successful electronically. Baggage handling systems were besides affected, starring to further delays successful luggage processing. Although nan airdrome was yet capable to reconstruct services, nan onslaught raised concerns astir nan vulnerability of captious infrastructure astatine awesome airports.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Attacked by Cybercriminals

Another awesome incident occurred astatine Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) successful March 2025. This airport, which serves arsenic 1 of nan busiest hubs successful nan United States, knowledgeable an attempted DDoS attack. While nan onslaught was quickly contained, it still caused disruptions to airdrome operations, including delays successful rider processing and connection betwixt airdrome systems.

The onslaught astatine ATL serves arsenic a reminder that moreover nan astir unafraid airports are astatine consequence of cyberattacks. While this peculiar onslaught did not consequence successful wide disruption, it demonstrates really moreover attempts astatine cyberattacks tin create chaos and impact rider experience.

Kuala Lumpur International Airport Hit by Ransomware

In March 2025, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) was nan unfortunate of a ransomware attack, which crippled its systems for complete 10 hours. Ransomware attacks impact hackers encrypting a system’s information and demanding a ransom successful speech for nan decryption key. The onslaught disrupted respective airdrome services, including formation operations and baggage handling.

During nan attack, KLIA had to move to manual processes, starring to important delays for passengers. The airport’s systems were yet restored, but nan onslaught caused a awesome headache for some passengers and airdrome staff. This incident highlights nan increasing threat of ransomware attacks connected captious infrastructure and nan request for stronger cybersecurity measures successful nan aviation industry.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Faces a Ransomware Attack

In August 2024, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) was deed by a ransomware onslaught that affected its check-in systems, baggage handling, and accusation displays. The group Rhysida was reportedly down nan attack, which caused important disruptions to airdrome operations. Passengers were forced to cheque successful manually, starring to agelong queues and delays.

This incident highlighted nan vulnerability of airports to cybercriminals who target captious systems to origin wide disruptions. While nan onslaught did not impact formation operations directly, it caused important delays and inconveniences for passengers. The onslaught besides raised concerns astir nan information of delicate rider data, arsenic galore airdrome systems shop individual accusation that could beryllium astatine consequence successful nan arena of a breach.

Cyberattacks Affect Multiple Airports successful Denmark

In February 2024, respective airports successful Denmark, including Copenhagen Airport (CPH), Bornholm Airport (RNN), and Thisted Airport (TED), were deed by DDoS attacks. These attacks targeted nan airports’ websites, causing impermanent disruptions to online services. While these attacks did not straight impact formation operations, they did create disorder for passengers trying to entree accusation astir flights and services.

DDoS attacks are often utilized by cybercriminals to overwhelm a strategy pinch excessive traffic, making it unavailable for morganatic users. In this case, nan DDoS attacks caused impermanent outages connected nan airports’ websites, preventing passengers from accessing formation specifications and different basal information.

Global IT Outage Affects Airports Worldwide

In July 2024, a awesome global IT outage caused by a faulty package update from cybersecurity patient CrowdStrike affected airports and airlines worldwide. The rumor led to wide delays and disruptions astatine galore airports, including LaGuardia Airport (LGA) successful New York City and Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) successful Delhi.

The outage was not nan consequence of a cyberattack but alternatively a method glitch caused by a package update. However, nan effect was akin to that of a cyberattack, arsenic passengers were forced to cheque successful manually, and formation operations were delayed. The incident highlighted nan risks associated pinch third-party package and nan value of ensuring that updates and patches are thoroughly tested earlier being implemented successful captious systems.

Split Airport successful Croatia Falls Victim to Cyberattack

In July 2024, Split Airport (SPU) successful Croatia was affected by a cyberattack that disrupted its systems. The airdrome had to move to manual check-in procedures, causing delays for passengers. While nan onslaught did not impact formation operations, it still created important inconvenience for travellers.

The onslaught astatine Split Airport is portion of a broader inclination of expanding cyberattacks connected airports worldwide. As airports go much reliant connected technology, they go much susceptible to attacks that tin disrupt operations and discuss rider information and data.

The Growing Threat of Cyberattacks connected Airports

The incidents described supra show nan increasing threat of cyberattacks and method glitches that tin disrupt airports and airlines. As airports go much integer and interconnected, they go much susceptible to attacks that tin origin important disruptions to operations and put passengers astatine risk.

Cyberattacks connected airports tin person a scope of impacts, from information breaches to formation delays and cancellations. These attacks tin besides harm nan estimation of airports and airlines, starring to a nonaccomplishment of rider trust. As such, it is basal for airports and airlines to put successful robust cybersecurity systems to protect their infrastructure and passengers.

Strengthening Cybersecurity Measures successful Airports

In consequence to nan expanding threat of cyberattacks, airports and airlines must put successful stronger cybersecurity measures. This includes upgrading outdated systems, improving information protocols, and ensuring that each captious infrastructure is protected against cyber threats.

Additionally, airports must activity intimately pinch third-party work providers to guarantee that their systems are secure. Many airports trust connected outer companies for services for illustration check-in and baggage handling, which makes them susceptible to cyberattacks targeting these third-party systems.

Conclusion: A Wake-Up Call for nan Aviation Industry

The cyberattacks and method glitches that person affected airports successful 2024 and 2025 service arsenic a wake-up telephone for nan aviation industry. As airports and airlines proceed to clasp integer technologies, they must besides recognise nan increasing risks posed by cyber threats and method failures. Investing successful beardown cybersecurity measures, upgrading outdated systems, and moving intimately pinch third-party providers is basal to protecting captious infrastructure and ensuring nan information and information of passengers.

The incidents astatine airports worldwide successful caller years show that nary airdrome is immune to cyberattacks aliases method glitches. As nan aviation manufacture continues to turn and evolve, it must prioritise nan protection of its systems and information to support spot and guarantee soft operations for travellers. The early of aerial recreation depends connected it.