Indian airports not impacted by cyber attack that hit European airports, govt check finds | Business News

The cyber attack is understood to have hit Collins Aerospace’s Muse software – which allows different airlines to use the same check-in desks and boarding gates at an airport, rather than requiring their own. As its system was down, ground crew at impacted airports had to carry out some of these processes manually, resulting in long wait times and flight cancellations.

In a travel advisory, Air India said, “A third-party passenger system disruption at Heathrow may cause delays in the check-in process. Our ground teams in London are working to minimise inconvenience. Passengers flying with us from London today are advised to complete their web check-in before arriving at the airport to help ensure a smooth experience”.

A senior IT Ministry official said that the government had contacted the chief information security officer of GMR, which manages airports in cities like Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Goa as part of its audit into the breach. While Delhi airport was found to be using the Muse software, Hyderabad and Goa airports were not using it. There were also no issues observed at the Bengaluru airport.

“Delhi has not faced any impact so far but there is no clear communication from the vendor Collins. However they are in touch with Collins,” a senior government official said.

Adani operated Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Jaipur, Mangaluru, Guwahati, and Thiruvananthapuram airports do not use the Collins Muse application, and while the new Navi Mumbai airport does, it is not yet operational there, the official said.

“There is no impact observed so far as per our conversation with multiple entities in the country. The Collins Muse application is mainly used in European countries and as per open source intel only selected European airports were impacted due the incident. We are contacting Collins over email, as direct phone contact is not available,” the official added.

As the breach jolted operations at several key European airports, Heathrow Airport said, “Collins Aerospace, which provides check-in and boarding systems for several airlines across multiple airports globally, is experiencing a technical issue that may cause delays for departing passengers.

While the provider works to resolve the problem quickly, we advise passengers to check their flight status with their airline before travelling. Please arrive no earlier than three hours before a long-haul flight or two hours before a domestic flight. Additional colleagues are available in check-in areas to assist and help minimise disruption”.