Disruption at airports in Berlin and other European cities persisted on Monday, with 70% of departures from the German capital facing delays as authorities confirmed the outage was due to a "ransomware attack," reported dpa.
Eurocontrol, Europe's air traffic management body, said only 30% of flights left Berlin-Brandenburg Airport (BER) on Monday morning with less than 15 minutes' delay.
The figure for Brussels Airport, which was the first to report significant impacts from Friday's cyberattack, was just 15%. The airport asked airlines to cancel half of Monday's scheduled departures, while passengers were advised to arrive two to three hours before take-off.
Other major hubs affected by the outage, including Dublin and London Heathrow, were also still experiencing minor disruptions to check-in and luggage drop-off services.
The issues stem from a cyberattack on IT service provider Collins Aerospace late on Friday.
The Athens-based European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) confirmed to dpa that the incident "is confirmed to be a ransomware attack."
The source of the attack remains unclear, as does whether the company is facing demands for a ransom.
Ransomware attacks have been one of the biggest threats to companies and public institutions for years. Public infrastructure such as transport, energy or healthcare systems is particularly critical, as they are essential for the functioning of everyday life.
The delays in Berlin on Monday were compounded by an unusually busy day at BER, with thousands of runners flying home after taking part in the city's renowned marathon on Sunday.
Around 95,000 passengers were expected, a BER spokesman told dpa, well above the typical Monday average of 75,000-85,000.
Only a handful of flights were cancelled, but the airport urged travellers to check in online and, where possible, use self-service kiosks for luggage drop-off.
Delays could persist as Collins Aerospace races to fully restores its systems.
"Before we reconnect our system, we must be 100% sure that there are no malware programmes left," the BER spokesman said.
- Long delays
- Berlin airport
- Ransomware attack
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
