Hundreds of flights have been canceled at major airports in Europe due to a major cyber attack. The cyber attack on the website of Collins Aerospace, a check-in and boarding service provider, has caused extreme chaos in air travel.

Several airlines at London Heathrow in Britain, Brussels in Belgium and Berlin in Germany have been forced to cancel many of their flights due to the incident. Affected passengers have been informed of the flight cancellations by sending messages to their mobile phones.

In a statement, Collins Aerospace said that the system was temporarily disabled due to a "technical error" and that it will take some time to recover. Although the statement did not directly mention the cyber attack, relevant sources are considering the incident as a "cyber attack".

Collins Aerospace provides technology services to numerous airlines and airports around the world. Most European-based airlines depend on their services. The cyberattack has completely disrupted check-in and boarding systems, making it almost impossible to operate flights.

However, not all airports in Europe have been hit. Flights are reportedly operating normally at Frankfurt, Hamburg and Zurich airports.

A Brussels airport official told the British daily Daily Mail,

“Passengers will be served manually until internet services are restored. However, this will take time and each flight will be delayed by an average of 54 minutes.”

Analysts fear that a state or organized hacker group may be behind the attack. European cybersecurity agencies are investigating the matter.