Heathrow cyber attack could have been carried out by hostile state, expert warns

A cyberattack on Heathrow and other European airports last weekend disrupted travel after hackers targeted Collins Aerospace, a technology firm that provides services for several airlines at multiple airports around the world. The outage knocked out check-in and boarding systems, forcing staff to process passengers manually and triggering hundreds of flight delays and cancellations across Europe, including at Brussels and Berlin.

Heathrow said on Monday that work was continuing to resolve and recover from the outage, and apologized to travelers for the disruption as airlines worked to restore normal operations. Brussels Airport reported that disruption would continue through the day with impacted flights and delays, while European authorities and the airport operator coordinated with law enforcement as investigations proceeded. The European Union’s cybersecurity agency ENISA confirmed the disruption was caused by a “third party” cyberattack but offered little detail on the root cause or the attacker’s identity. Officials cautioned that investigations were ongoing and that information could change as more technical data became available.

Independent terrorism legislation reviewer Jonathan Hall KC said attribution would not be easy and that state sponsorship could not be ruled out. Speaking to Times Radio, he said, “anything is possible” when asked whether a state such as Russia could be responsible for the attack. He stressed that it was equally possible for a private entity to carry out such a hack for a mix of public and private reasons and without direct direction from a government. “Yes, it’s possible that this is carried out directly by a state, but it’s equally possible to be carried out by a private entity that is, sort of, allowed to operate and does it for a combination of public and private reasons,” Hall said.

Hall noted that the attribution landscape for cyber operations is often complex and deniable, particularly when sophisticated private actors operate in networks with state interests or informal relationships with governments. He cautioned that traditional indicators—such as clear company lines of control or state directive—may be obscured by the nature of modern cyber operations and the involvement of contractors and third-party service providers. The remarks underscored the challenge for investigators trying to determine whether the incident was state-sponsored or the act of a capable private group acting for patriotic, strategic, or financially motivated reasons.

For travelers, the disruption translated into long lines, missed connections, and a reworked flow at check-in desks as staff managed passenger movements manually. Heathrow advised passengers to monitor their flight status and to arrive at the airport well ahead of departure time—three hours for long-haul and two hours for short-haul flights—to accommodate the ongoing recovery efforts. While the airport emphasized that most flights continued to operate, the system-wide outage clearly strained operations and stressed the broader European aviation network.

In a note accompanying the Monday updates, airlines based at Heathrow and across European hubs emphasized the need for patience as crews resumed normal service and IT systems were brought back online. Industry observers noted that the incident came amid a broader spate of cyberattacks this year that have targeted retailers and other critical infrastructure sectors, highlighting the growing convergence of aviation technology ecosystems and third-party contractors in the global travel network.

The market reaction on Monday morning reflected investor concern about operational risk and disruption to travel-heavy networks. Shares in IAG, the parent of British Airways, fell around 1.3 percent in early trading, while EasyJet and Wizz Air each slid by roughly 1.3 percent and 1.5 percent respectively as investors weighed the implications for travel demand and airline scheduling in the coming weeks. Analysts cautioned that while the immediate impact on bookings might be contained, ongoing cybersecurity resilience will remain a focal point for equity markets and industry executives alike.

The Heathrow incident follows a string of cyber events that have rippled through other sectors in recent months. Earlier this year, major UK retailers including Marks & Spencer, Co-op, and Harrods reported breaches or disruptions tied to cyber intrusions. M&S halted online orders and faced inventory gaps as cyber activity disrupted e-commerce and fulfillment networks, with an estimated impact on online sales and related profits across fashion, home, and beauty divisions. Harrods disclosed attempts to gain unauthorized access to some systems; while specific consequences for the department store were not fully disclosed, customers reported at-the-counter issues during the breach window. Co-op reported widespread outages to its delivery and online services, coupled with breaches affecting millions of customer records.

The cyberattack environment has also seen a wave of activity targeting luxury brands and consumer electronics, with reports in recent months describing intrusions at Cartier, The North Face, Dior, Adidas, and Victoria’s Secret. While many incidents were contained with limited data exposure, the clustering of such events has heightened attention on the security of supply chains and the vulnerability of outsourced IT services that support global operations.

Authorities and security agencies across Europe have stressed the ongoing nature of cyber defense work and the importance of rapid detection, containment, and coordinated responses to such incidents. ENISA said it would continue to monitor the situation and work with member states to strengthen defenses, while law enforcement agencies pursue leads and assess whether the attack was conducted by a single group or a broader network. Officials emphasized that attribution requires careful analysis of digital footprints, INFRASTRUCTURE monitoring, and intelligence from allied partners, and that preliminary assessments may evolve as new evidence emerges.

As investigators comb through digital and physical indicators, the aviation sector is expected to review and enhance its cyber resilience measures, including tighter controls on third-party access, more robust authentication for airline systems, and expanded incident-response playbooks for airports and ground-handling providers. The goal is to shorten outage durations, reduce the risk of cascading disruptions, and preserve passenger confidence as technology-driven travel grows more interconnected and complex.

In the near term, travelers are advised to remain flexible and to monitor official airline and airport communications for updates. Airports and carriers are prioritizing rapid restoration of IT services and the safe, orderly movement of passengers as they navigate the aftermath of a cyber incident that has highlighted both the vulnerabilities and the resilience of modern air transport networks.