On 20 September 2025 different European airports they ended up in chaos due to a hacker attack which hit the software that manages i check-in and other services related to mobility Of passengers And luggage. This is the Multi-USER SYSTEM Environment platform (Muse) Of Collins Aerospaceone of the largest companies in the world that deals with airport services. Founded in the United States in 2018 following the merger of Rockwell Collins and UTC Aerospace Systems, it has a business closely connected to the sectors of the defense and of theaeronauticsis civil That military. It is a real giant, with a turnover close to 30 billion dollars (in 2024) and which gives work to beyond 80,000 people all over the world. It is also present in Italy with some locations. Today is a rib of the conglomerate RTX Corporation.
Its Muse passenger processing system, reads on DCS.Aero, has been active for decades and helps the aviation sector “to share resources and reduce operating costs”. The support involves “beyond 300 airlines Furthermore 100 airports all over the world ”. Among those served, the international airports of Heathrow in London, of Berlin And Brusselsthe most heavily affected by the disservices of September 20 (started on the evening of 19). At the moment there are at least one hundreds of late flights For the London airport and dozens of others in Germany and Belgium. The chain effect also had an impact on other airports, such as the Spanish one of Malaga and Lisbon, in Portugal. Several flights have been deleted.
The files are very long since due to the software blocked by the cyberattacco, at the airports concerned all the controls of documents, luggage and check-in control procedures are performed in a manner manual and with emergency computers. It is no coincidence that in some airports, the customers was invited to go to the airport only after consulting the availability of its flight on the airline website. In addition, it is required to arrive at least 3 hours earlier for medium and long -range flights and at least 2 for national ones (in some cases it is a practice, even if contested for the loss of time that derives from it).
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The Muse software, explains Collins Aerospace, is designed to eliminate “i software engineering costs Without sacrificing the reliability, safety or solid functionality of the Arinc Muse platform “. It is described as” ideal for airports of small and medium -sized “, but its interconnected features can benefit from all sizes, also thanks to the support of the cloud. In fact, it serves to automate and accelerate procedures that would otherwise be slow and cumbersome, as well as very expensive. In light of the importance and advanced technology of Collins Aerospace, experts believe that Muse is one of the safest airport management software in the world. Yet it was “laundry” the same, it is not yet clear how.
The words of the CEO of The PC Agency and former Director of Communications of Virgin Atlantic is emblematic Paul Charleswho said to the Independent: “Many in the sector are surprised that a company of the caliber and the size of Collins Aerospace has been the victim of a computer attack of this type. It is one of the most experienced systems suppliers in the world for airports, airlines and governments, including that of the United Kingdom “.” If Collins can be hacked so easily – explains the expert – then all suppliers must be asked. I hope they manage to quickly restore the Muse software, otherwise the flights will be compromised for many days to come “.
When we are writing, the times of the Complete resolution of disservicesbut it seems that in some airports the situation is slowly returning under control, despite the enormous inconveniences for passengers, between delayed and deleted flights. Also to Independent, Collins Aerospace said he was at work to solve the interruption problem of Muses, which would essentially involve the procedures of electronic check-in and delivery of luggage, processes that can be temporarily replaced by manual work (clearly slower).
The type of cyberattacco who hit Muse: the D-DOS classiccharacterized by a bombing of requests coordinated to bring down the service, or the most feared ransomwarewho encrypts the data and makes it illegible. The criminals generally ask for a redemption for the release, but they are almost never given to them. We will probably know more in the next few hours. However, the hypotheses on the table on the type of computer attack are many.
What is certain is that if it is possible to hit the software of a giant such as Collins Aerospace, fears for the security of all those interconnected digital platforms on which our data travel and which are critical for the functioning of many services are founded. The event partly recalls what happened on July 19, 2024 following a buggy update of a safety software of Crowdstrikeinstalled in millions of PCs all over the world. The blockade determined inconveniences in multiple sectors, including that of Air transport.
