A man in his 40s was arrested in southern England on Tuesday in connection with an alleged cyberattack that disrupted operations at several major European airports over the weekend, according to UK law enforcement officials. The incident, which affected check-in systems and forced staff to resort to manual processes, highlighted the vulnerabilities in global aviation infrastructure amid rising cyber threats.

The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) confirmed the suspect was detained in West Sussex on suspicion of offenses related to the misuse of computers. He has since been released on conditional bail as investigations continue. Paul Foster, head of the NCA's national cyber crime unit, described the arrest as a "positive step" but emphasized that the probe remains in its early stages. "Cybercrime is a persistent global threat that continues to cause significant disruption to the UK and beyond," Foster stated, underscoring the agency's commitment to combating such incidents.

The disruptions began late Friday, impacting airports in Berlin, Brussels, and London, including the bustling Heathrow terminal. Travelers faced delays as electronic check-in kiosks and baggage systems failed, prompting airline personnel to handwrite boarding passes and deploy backup laptops. While many other European airports operated normally, the outage exposed the interconnected nature of aviation software. Collins Aerospace, a US-based subsidiary of RTX Corporation specializing in aerospace technologies, acknowledged a "cyber-related disruption" to its systems at select European locations. The company's software manages critical functions like passenger verification, boarding pass issuance, and luggage dispatch, making it a linchpin in airport efficiency.

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Although the perpetrator's identity and motives are still under investigation, cybersecurity experts suggest possibilities ranging from lone hackers to organized criminal groups or even state-sponsored actors. This event follows a pattern of increasing cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, including recent incidents targeting transportation and energy sectors. Aviation authorities have urged heightened vigilance, while the NCA collaborates with international partners to trace the attack's origins. As air travel rebounds post-pandemic, such breaches serve as a stark reminder of the need for robust digital defenses in an era of escalating geopolitical tensions and cyber warfare.

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