Gavin Gray: European correspondent discusses disruptive cyber attacks on European airports

Cyber incidents continue to cause chaos across major European airports.

Dublin, Berlin, Brussels and London's Heathrow are thought to be experiencing cyber attacks, knocking out online baggage and check-in systems.

It's the third day of technical failures, with dozens of flights delayed or cancelled.

Europe correspondent Gavin Gray told Francesca Rudkin that the issue is with a widely-used system by Collins Aerospace, which allows airlines to use the same check-in desks and boarding gates.

He says things are going wrong and many airlines are having to use manual boarding and check-in with paper and pen.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Right time to hear to Europe in the UK and
joining me now is Gavin greg Good morning, Gavin.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Hi there, Francesca, good to talk to you.

Speaker 1 (00:06):
We've seen a bit of chaos at major European airports.
What's with the cyber ticket?

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Yeah, well I think look, if anyone from New Zealand
knows anyone is flying in and out of major European
hubs that just need to check break carefully with the
airlines about delays, particularly leaving. That is because it's a
system that basically operates the online check in and also
some of the luggage computer programs are said to be

(00:35):
at risk. So the main airports are Brussels, Berlin, Dublin
and also Heathrow, Heathrow of course being the UK's biggest airport.
It's thought is cyber attack has knocked out the check
in and baggage systems. They are run by a software
provider called Collins Aerospace, and lots of airlines have them
so they don't have to have their own system, as

(00:56):
it were, so they use their system, and that would
appear it's software allowing different airlines to use the same
check in desks and boarding gates at an airport. Has
been affected. Now we don't yet know definitely that it's
a cyber attack, that it's a hack, but we do
know that things are going wrong and many airlines are
having to use paper and pen manual check in and boarding,

(01:18):
and that of course is taking much longer. I think
some of the biggest problems now because Heco seems to
be getting back not to normal by any means, but
canceling and delaying less flights. Is that at Brussels, it's
thought around half the flights there are going to be
delayed or canceled.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
And Gavin, the Duchess of York. Sarah Ferguson is in
the news again. I've just finished reading Andrew Loney's book
entitled and Nothing would surprise me.

Speaker 2 (01:44):
Yes, I'm afraid more bad news for the Royals and
even greater connections with Jeffrey Epstein coming back to haunt people.
So in this particular instance, it's been revealed that Sarah
Ferguson in twenty eleven gave an interview in which the
interview asked her about her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. It's

(02:05):
alleged that he gave her roughly forty thousand new Zealand
dollars in order to pay off a debt. Now after
that and sorry. During the interview, she was asked about
her friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, of course, the late sex offender,
and she said, oh, I'm going to have nothing more
to do with him. I apport pediphilia and any sexual

(02:25):
abuse of children. I cannot state more strongly this is
a quote that I know a terrible, terrible eerror of
judgment was made my having anything to do with Jeffrey Epstein.
She says what he did was wrong and which he
was rightly jailed. But it's now been revealed that actually
shortly having after having said she wants nothing to do

(02:45):
with Jeffrey Epstein, guess what she emailed saying he was
a supreme friend.

Speaker 1 (02:51):
There we go. Thank you so much, Gavin Gray. That
book and title does actually joint men. Where about the
Duke of the Duchess? A lot of fascinating information in there.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
For more familiar edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live to
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