Canary Islands Airports Operating Normally
Airports across Spain’s Canary Islands are operating as usual this Saturday morning, according to Aena, the Spanish airport authority. This normalcy comes despite a significant cyberattack that has disrupted operations at several major European airports, causing considerable delays on the continent, particularly at hubs in London, Brussels, and Berlin.
Flight Operations to Affected Hubs
Aena informed Europa Press that the scheduled operations for this Saturday include four flights between Tenerife South and London Heathrow. Furthermore, there are 20 flights scheduled to and from Brussels: two with Fuerteventura, eight with Gran Canaria, four with Lanzarote, and six with Tenerife South. The airport operator has assured that Spanish airports have not registered any incidents throughout the morning.
Traveler Advisory in Place
On its social media channels, Aena stated that “some European airports, such as Heathrow (London) and Brussels Airport (Brussels), continue to experience technical issues. Spanish airports currently have no incidents, except for flights with their origin or destination at these affected airports.” Aena has strongly emphasized that travelers scheduled on flights to these cities should check their flight status beforehand, concluding their message with, “If you are going to fly from or to them, check the status of your flight with your airline.”
Cause of the European Disruption
The root of the problem is a cyberattack targeting a service provider responsible for check-in and boarding systems at numerous European airports. This has resulted in widespread delays across the continent this Saturday, affecting airports in Brussels, Berlin, and London.
Airport Statements on the Cyberattack
Brussels Airport was the first to announce that on the night of Friday, September 19th, “a cyberattack occurred against the service provider for check-in and boarding, affecting several European airports, including Brussels.” This has caused numerous flight delays as staff can only process check-in and boarding manually. The airport confirmed that “the service provider is actively working on the problem and trying to resolve it as soon as possible.”
Similarly, London’s Heathrow Airport pointed out on its X (formerly Twitter) account that Collins Aerospace, the company providing check-in and boarding systems for several airlines at multiple airports worldwide, “is experiencing technical issues that may cause delays for departing passengers.” Their advice echoed others: “While the provider works to resolve the issue quickly, we recommend that passengers check their flight status with their airline before traveling.”
In line with these reports, Berlin-Brandenburg Airport published a brief notice on its website highlighting that “due to a technical problem at a service provider operating in Europe, there are longer waiting times for check-in.” They added, “We are working on a quick solution.”
Unclaimed Attack and Unknown Full Impact
For the moment, it remains unknown if the cyberattack has caused disruptions or impacts at other airports on the continent. As of now, no group has claimed responsibility for this cyberattack.
