Putin ‘Without Doubt’ behindโฃ cyberattacks on Heathrow and European Airports, Expertโฃ Claims โคas Fallout ‘to โLast Days’
Brussels, Belgium – Disruptions โขat major European โคairports, including Heathrow, are the result โof a cyberattack orchestrated by Russian โPresident Vladimir Putinโ “without doubt,” accordingโข to a leadingโ cybersecurity expert. The attacks,which began Tuesday,have caused important flight delays andโข cancellations,leaving โขthousands of passengers โstranded and sparking fears of a prolonged period of travel chaos lasting “days.”
The coordinated cyberattacks targeted airportโ websitesโค and operational โsystems, causing widespread disruption to โflight facts displays and check-in โprocedures.โ Passengers at Brussels Airport faced lengthy queues and uncertainty as airlinesโค struggled to manage the fallout. Derine, 19, arriving from Malta en routeโ to university โขin Ireland, described her flight circlingโ the runway for half an hour before โbeing allowed to disembark. Another traveller heading to Mumbai reported a delay of an hour and a half to โtheir flight.
“This is a clear escalation in Putin’sโ hybrid warfare tactics,” stated the cybersecurity expert,โ who wished to remain anonymousโ dueโ to โฃtheโข sensitive nature of their work. “Targeting critical infrastructure like airports โis designed to sow โขdiscord,undermine confidence in European systems,and exert political pressure.”โข
The โattacks โขcome amid โheightened geopolitical tensions following Russia’s invasion of โUkraine. While no group has formally claimed responsibility, the expert pointed to the sophistication ofโข theโค attack and its strategic timing as evidence of state-sponsored involvement.
Passengers shared their frustrations as they grappled with the uncertainty. A family travelling to Canada, hoping โคto โreunite with a โขson they hadn’t seen inโค over a year, expressed anxiety over potential delays.โ A mother and son en route to Zanzibar described “nightmare” conditions at security, with malfunctioning machines and overwhelmed staff. โข”there were huge queues,and theโข machines weren’t working,so everyone was just swarming the staff with iPads. It was โchaos,” they said.
Airlines and airport authorities are working to restore full functionality and โmitigateโ the impact on travellers. However,officials warn that theโ recovery process could take several days as systems are thoroughly checkedโข and security protocolsโข are reinforced. The incident underscores the vulnerability โof criticalโค infrastructure to cyberattacks and the growing need for internationalโฃ cooperation toโ address this evolving threat.