• Cyberattack disrupts flights at multiple European airports.
• Airports warn of delays, cancellations after cyberattack.
• Frankfurt and Zurich airports confirm no disruption.

BRUSSELS: A cyberattack at a service provider for check-in and boarding systems has disrupted operations at several major European airports, including London’s Heathrow, Brussels and Berlin, causing flight delays and cancellations on Saturday.

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, London’s Heathrow Airport said on Saturday, having warned of delays.

RTX, Collins Aerospace’s parent, was not immediately available for comment outside of US business hours.

The attack has rendered automated systems inoperable, allowing only manual check-in and boarding procedures, Brussels Airport said on its website.

“This has a large impact on the flight schedule and will unfortunately cause delays and cancellations of flights…The service provider is actively working on the issue and trying to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.”

Passengers with a flight scheduled for Saturday were advised by the affected airports to confirm their travel with airlines before heading to the airport.

“Due to a technical issue at a system provider operating across Europe, there are longer waiting times at check-in. We are working on a quick solution,” Berlin Airport said in a banner on its website.

Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s largest, was not affected, a spokesperson said. An official from the operations control centre at Zurich Airport also said it had not been impacted.

A viral audio clip has triggered outrage in India after a woman identified as telecaller Anu Radha Verma was heard hurling curse words and derogatory language at a “debt-ridden” Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel during a dispute over loan repayment.

According to Indian media, Verma allegedly insulted the officer’s education and profession, telling him he was ‘ignorant” and would not have been “sent to the border if you were educated”.

She also accused him of “usurping others’ money”, adding: “That is why your children are born disabled.”

At one point, she dismissed his attempt to respond, saying: “What lesson will you teach me? My family is also linked to the army. You are living on debt and you will teach me?”

After the audio circulated widely on social media, speculation arose that Verma was connected to a bank.

The bank in question, however, issued a clarification, denying she was an employee, though many questioned how she might have obtained sensitive loan data if not linked to the institution.

Amid mounting criticism and a worsening public perception of the Indian armed forces, another audio clip of Verma, but this time offering an apology to the CRPF personnel, also surfaced online.

The woman was heard requesting to “stop harassing” her with audio or video calls and offensive messages to stop.

Russia launched a major drone and missile attack on Ukraine overnight, killing three people and injuring dozens, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday.

In a statement on the Telegram app, Zelenskiy said Russia launched around 580 drones and 40 missiles targeting Ukraine’s infrastructure, civilian manufacturing companies, and residential areas in different regions across the country.

“All night, Ukraine was under a massive attack by Russia,” Zelenskiy said. “Every such strike is not a military necessity but a deliberate strategy by Russia to terrorise civilians and destroy our infrastructure.”

In the central city of Dnipro, a missile with a cluster munition hit a residential apartment building, Zelenskiy said.

One person was killed, and at least 26 people were injured in Dnipro, regional officials said.

They shared pictures on the Telegram app showing a damaged apartment building with a destroyed roof and smashed windows, people getting medical help, and rescuers working on the site.

Two people were killed in the Chernihiv region in the north and the Khmelnytskyi region in the west of the country, regional officials said.

Russia appears to have changed its tactics in its air attacks on Ukraine and now launches swarms of hundreds of drones in one strike, compared with dozens early in the war.

With air alerts lasting about 11 hours in some regions during the night, the Russian attacks were carried out in two waves, the military analysts said. Ukrainian air defence shot down 552 drones and 31 missiles, the air force said.

Polish and allied aircraft were deployed to ensure the safety of Polish airspace as Russia’s attack also targeted the west of Ukraine near the border with Poland, the Polish military command said.

“Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, while ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems have been brought to the highest state of readiness,” the operational command said in a post on X.

Zelenskiy reiterated his appeal to Kyiv’s Western allies, calling for more air defence supplies to be sent to Ukraine and stronger sanctions on Russia.

“Ukraine has proven it can defend itself and Europe, but for a reliable shield, we must act together,” he said.