A cyberattack on Collins Aerospace’s Muse passenger processing system disrupted operations at major airports across Europe. Flights were delayed, check-ins stalled, and baggage processing slowed. Importantly, no airports in India were affected.

The European airport cyberattack in September 2025 underscored just how dependent aviation has become on digital systems. This wasn’t an attack on radar or flight navigation, but on the very systems passengers use to check in, drop luggage, and get boarding passes. Even so, the effect was immediate and visible: long queues, frustrated travelers, and delayed flights.

The Muse passenger processing platform, developed by Collins Aerospace, was at the center of the crisis. Airports across France, Germany, Spain, and the UK reported outages, forcing airlines to scramble for manual processes. The event served as a stark reminder that airport cybersecurity is no longer just about protecting aircraft—it’s also about ensuring passengers can even board them.

 What Happened

The airport systems hack specifically targeted Muse, a software suite integrated into dozens of terminals across Europe. Muse is designed to streamline operations, handling tasks from passenger check-ins to baggage tagging. When the system was disrupted, airports had no option but to fall back on manual processing.

Passengers waiting to check in encountered system crashes, baggage drops froze, and boarding pass printers stopped functioning. Some airports kept flights running with handwritten boarding passes, while others delayed or cancelled departures altogether. Airlines emphasized that no flight safety systems were compromised, but operational disruption lasted for hours before systems were restored.

For a sector that prides itself on precision and punctuality, this incident was a reminder that cyberattacks don’t need to hit flight controls to cause chaos.

 Why Airports Are a Target

Airports sit at the intersection of critical infrastructure, commerce, and data. They are high-visibility, high-impact targets, making them attractive to both cybercriminals and nation-state actors. The September attack highlighted three major vulnerabilities:

1. Legacy technology – Many airports still run outdated IT systems that are harder to patch and easier to exploit.
2. Third-party risk – A single vendor compromise, such as the Collins Aerospace Muse platform, can ripple across multiple countries.
3. Dependence on continuity – Even short disruptions to check-in systems quickly cascade into mass delays, cancellations, and financial losses.

For attackers, disrupting airports brings instant media coverage, leverage for extortion, and geopolitical value if state-linked. For passengers, it’s an unwelcome reminder of how fragile digital infrastructure can be.

 Impact on Passengers

For the public, the most visible outcome of the Europe airport travel disruption was the chaos in terminals. Travelers queued for hours, families missed connecting flights, and many had to rebook journeys.

Some airlines tried to reassure passengers by deploying extra staff to issue manual boarding passes. But for travelers who rely on tight connections or were heading to international meetings, the delays translated into real costs—missed opportunities, extra expenses, and disrupted plans.

This impact was amplified on social media, where images of stranded travelers trended under hashtags related to aviation disruption. The reputational fallout for both airlines and airports extended beyond the immediate outage.

 Was It a Ransomware Attack?

Investigators have not confirmed the nature of the malware, but experts noted similarities to past ransomware attacks on airports. Ransomware often works by encrypting data or freezing critical systems, then demanding payment for restoration.

While Collins Aerospace has not revealed whether a ransom was demanded, the speed and scale of the disruption suggest that attackers aimed for maximum visibility. Analysts say this may have been both a financial and political statement, given the prominence of the aviation sector.

This uncertainty highlights a broader issue: without transparent reporting, the public and even regulators are left guessing about the true nature of such incidents.

 India Not Affected

Indian travelers were spared from the chaos. Aviation officials confirmed that no airports in India were affected by the cyberattack. The Muse platform is not widely deployed in Indian hubs such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, or Hyderabad.

This highlights an important point: while European airports must now focus on vendor risks tied to Muse, India faces its own cybersecurity challenges, particularly with expanding passenger volumes and modernization projects.

The Indian civil aviation sector has invested heavily in its DigiYatra program and smart check-in systems, which brings efficiency but also new risks. Though unaffected this time, India should view the European incident as a warning to stay proactive.

Expert Warnings and Risk Factors

The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) quickly flagged the attack as a serious incident, noting that airports are becoming “high-value targets.” Independent cybersecurity researchers added that the hack highlights several risk factors:

• Vendor monoculture – Too many airports depend on the same software, creating a single point of failure.
•  Incident communication gaps – Passengers reported confusion because updates were slow and inconsistent.
• Testing weaknesses – Security drills often focus on physical threats, not digital system failures.

Experts argue that cybersecurity in aviation must now be treated as seriously as safety checks for engines or runways.

 The Bigger Picture: Cyberattacks on Aviation

The European airport cyberattack fits a wider trend of targeting the aviation industry. Airlines have faced ticketing scams, airports have dealt with ransomware, and aerospace suppliers have been infiltrated by advanced persistent threat (APT) groups.

This attack shows how hitting a supplier like Collins Aerospace causes a domino effect. Even if one airport has good defenses, its reliance on third-party systems creates exposure.

As travel rebounds globally, cybercriminals see aviation as a lucrative sector where even minor disruption creates headlines—and pressure to pay.

How Airports Can Strengthen Defenses

Cybersecurity experts suggest that airports need to rethink their strategies. Some of the most pressing improvements include:

•  Zero Trust frameworks – Limiting internal access so that one compromised account can’t take down the whole system.
•  Redundant backups – Ensuring check-in systems can be restored quickly from clean data.
•  Continuous monitoring – Using AI to detect anomalies in real time before attackers cripple systems.
•  Vendor accountability – Making suppliers like Collins Aerospace subject to stricter audits and transparency rules.
•  Staff readiness – Training airport teams to handle outages, ensuring passengers get clear communication during incidents.

To Sum Up

The European airport cyberattack was disruptive but not catastrophic. Flight safety remained intact, but the passenger experience collapsed for hours, proving that “non-critical” systems can still create major crises. For Europe, this is a wake-up call to modernize defenses and reduce overreliance on single vendors. India escaped unscathed, but the lesson is universal: cybersecurity is now as critical to aviation as runway maintenance or air traffic control. Without urgent upgrades and coordinated defense strategies, the next attack could have far greater consequences.

 FAQs

1. What is the European airport cyberattack?

It was a September 2025 incident where hackers targeted Collins Aerospace’s Muse check-in system, disrupting operations at major European airports.

2. Which services were affected?

Passenger check-ins, baggage drops, and boarding pass systems were disrupted. Flight navigation and safety systems were not affected.

3. Which countries saw disruptions?

Airports in France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

4. Was it ransomware?

It has not been confirmed, but experts suggest the attack showed signs of ransomware tactics.

5. Were Indian airports affected?

No. Indian airports were not impacted, as they don’t widely use the Muse system.

6. What can airports do to protect themselves?

Adopt Zero Trust models, audit vendors, maintain redundant systems, and train staff for cyber incident response.