Hundreds of Heathrow flights delayed after cyber attack hits European airports: Live updates

More than 600 flights from Heathrow have been disrupted by a cyber attack, according to flight tracking data.

FlightRadar have recorded 629 disrupted flights today after a cyber attack on Collins Aerospace led to delays across Europe.

The incident is the latest in a series that have affected UK airports since the start of the year.

Thousands of passengers trying to fly both in and out of the country faced major disruption on Wednesday July 30 after air traffic control (ATC) provider Nats was hit by a technical glitch.

More than 150 flights – 84 departures and 71 arrivals – were cancelled in airports across the UK, with the highest number of cancellations at London’s Heathrow Airport.

A number of inbound flights were also diverted to European cities as a result of the glitch, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Passengers at Stansted Airport also faced long delays and disruption on Sunday May 11 after an IT glitch caused some of the airport’s systems to fail.

The malfunction affected check-in, baggage, and security, with engineers investigating the source of the IT problem saying it may have been related to the systems’ internet access.

On Friday March 21, more than 270,000 air passenger journeys were disrupted by Heathrow airport’s closure following a fire at a nearby electrical substation.

Some 234,000 passengers booked to fly to or from Heathrow that day had their flight cancelled, diverted or delayed when the airport suffered a power outage because of a blaze at the substation in Hayes, aviation industry statistics seen by the PA news agency have showed.

No flights were permitted at the airport on that day until around 6pm.

A further 36,500 people hoping to travel the following day were affected when 74 flights, 6.1% of the total scheduled, were cancelled.

Helen Steel, 49, who was trying to fly home with KLM to Oslo via Amsterdam with a cat named Thomas, told the PA news agency she “broke down in tears” after being shouted at by staff at Heathrow Airport amid long queues.

Speaking at a crowded Terminal 4, Ms Steel said: “I started travelling this morning at 3am from Dorset, and they knew about the cyber attack yesterday and didn’t tell us.

“If they just told us that there was a cyber attack, I wouldn’t have travelled up here.

“I’ve got an animal here, so I’m very concerned about his welfare.

“I’ve been shouted at twice and I broke down in tears because I was worried about him.

“None of us have had any information whatsoever. Whenever we ask ground staff, they shout at us.

“They tell us to call customer service – I’ve spent about two hours in a queue on the telephone. I then finally got through to somebody and they put the phone down on me.

“It’s another three hours to get back home and then come back up again if they find a new flight, so now I must go look for a hotel, but I’m still stuck in this queue.”

A leading aviation figure has called Saturday’s cyber attack “deeply concerning”.

Paul Charles, chief executive of The PC Agency and former communications director of Virgin Atlantic, told The Independent’s Simon Calder: “Many in the industry are surprised that a company of the stature and scale of Collins Aerospace has been victim of such a cyber attack. It is one of the most experienced systems suppliers in the world to airports and airlines, and governments including the UK.”

The attack affected the “Multi-User System Environment” passenger processing system, know as MUSE.

Mr Charles said: “If Collins can be hacked so easily then you have to question all suppliers. I hope they’re able to get the MUSE software affected back online quickly, otherwise flights will be affected for many days to come.”

Brussels Airport said half the departing flights scheduled for Sunday will need to be cancelled due to ongoing disruption following a cyberattack that hit several European airports.

“Brussels Airport has asked airlines to cancel half of the scheduled departing flights on Sunday 21 September in order to avoid long queues and late cancellations,” a spokesperson for the Belgian airport said.

Arguments have broken out between passengers waiting in long queues at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 4.

Amid lengthy lines at the check-in area, one woman shouted at another woman: “Get out and stop pushing.

“Everyone is tired, it’s not an excuse.”

Other passengers are in heated conversations with airport staff, as frustration levels rise at the transport hub because of the delays.

Long lines at the check-in area of Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 4 has left passengers queuing near the entrance to the transport hub.

Airport staff have erected extra queue barriers in an attempt to manage the lengthy lines, with passengers reporting that they have been left waiting for hours.

Some passengers have resorted to sitting on their luggage amid the long delays at the airport.

Many travellers will have faced cancelled or delayed flights from Heathrow, Brussels, or Berlin airports today.

But what are your rights if your flight is cancelled?

The Independent’s Simon Calder has all you need to know below…