Is the Europe cyberattack affecting flights? No. As of Monday, there's no sign that airports, airlines or air traffic control have been hit. The attack that's spreading across Europe targeted something far less expected: supermarket refrigerators. Overnight Sunday into Monday, stores in at least seven countries reported freezers and fridges suddenly heating up, and posts about it have been seen millions of times on X.
If you're flying to or around Europe this week, your trip isn't affected by this. Strikes are a much bigger risk right now.
What Was Actually Hit
The attack targeted the computer controls that run supermarket refrigeration. Stores in Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Ireland, Estonia and the Netherlands reported problems on Monday. In Belgium alone, about 40 Delhaize stores, at least 15 Carrefours and five Spar stores were affected, and one Delhaize reportedly threw out around €100,000 worth of food. Freezers reportedly climbed to 50 °C, about 120 °F, in some stores.
Investigators are looking at refrigeration controllers that were reachable over the open internet, the same weak spot reportedly used in attacks on hundreds of French supermarkets last month. In Belgium, one refrigeration company said the hackers switched systems into defrost mode, which explains how a freezer ends up hotter than a summer day. Nobody has claimed responsibility, and officials say it's too early to know whether one group or a foreign government is behind it.
Could This Happen to Airports?
It already has. In September 2025, a cyberattack on check-in and boarding software from Collins Aerospace snarled London Heathrow, Brussels and Berlin for days. Airlines went back to checking people in by hand, lines stretched through terminals, and Brussels asked airlines to cancel dozens of flights.
That attack hit shared airport software rather than the planes themselves, which is the usual pattern. Flying a plane doesn't depend on the kind of internet-connected systems hackers usually target, and air traffic control runs on separate, protected networks. The weak point for travelers is the airport: check-in, bag drop and boarding systems.
How to Prepare If It Ever Reaches Your Airport
Check in online before you leave home and save your boarding pass to your phone's wallet, plus a screenshot in case the app won't load. If you're checking a bag, give yourself extra time, since manual bag drop is slow. And keep an eye on your airline's app, which is usually the first place delays and cancellations show up.
For now, the bigger threat to a Europe trip this month is old-fashioned walkouts. France has a national strike on Thursday, air traffic controllers in Bari in southern Italy plan a walkout Friday, and Spain has a general strike on Nov. 11.
