Cyber ​​attack at BER: Passengers wait for hours to board!

Cyber ​​attack at BER: Passengers wait for hours to board!

At Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER), passengers are facing significant delays in processing this Saturday morning. The reason for this are IT problems caused by a cyber attack on an external service provider. The attack took place on Friday evening, resulting in connections to passenger processing systems being immediately severed. As a result, passengers must expect longer waiting times during check-in and boarding as all passenger details now have to be entered manually instead of the automated process. According to rbb24 the average delay is currently 37 minutes.

Although the airport itself was not the target of the cyber attack, it is indirectly affected because the attacked service provider operates at many airports across Europe. At this point in time, the airport company cannot yet provide any precise assessments of the impact on air traffic. A crisis team was set up to minimize the negative consequences of the IT problems. The affected system is not only used in Berlin, but also at Brussels Airport, where significant impacts on flight operations have also been reported. Check-in and boarding there are currently only possible manually, which is also associated with delays and flight cancellations.

More airports affected

In addition, it has been announced that London Heathrow Airport is also experiencing a technical problem with a third-party check-in and boarding system provider, which may also lead to delays. In contrast, Frankfurt am Main and Hamburg airports report that they are not affected by the IT problems and operations there are continuing as normal. The exact number of additional airports that could be affected is still unclear, but the situation is reminiscent of other cyberattacks on the aviation industry in the past.

Passengers are advised to check their flight status regularly with the airlines and to allow sufficient time at the airport. The affected service provider is working intensively to find a quick solution to resolve the problems that have arisen. According to Die Zeit, delays and flight cancellations are still expected while passengers wait for solutions.

Cyber ​​attacks on airports are not a new phenomenon. Similar incidents occurred in several countries in 2024, posing major challenges to the aviation industry. From Beirut to Hamburg, numerous airports and airlines have been the target of attacks, often leading to massive disruptions to flight operations. The development of security measures remains important to protect the digital infrastructure in aviation from such threats, as Konbriefing makes clear.