A man in his forties has been arrested in West Sussex in connection with a cyber attack on Collins Aerospace that has caused days of disruption at major European airports, including Heathrow.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) confirmed the arrest, made under suspicion of Computer Misuse Act offences, though the individual has since been released on bail.

The attack, involving ransomware, crippled Collins Aerospace’s baggage and check-in software, forcing airlines to revert to manual processes and leading to hundreds of flight delays and cancellations across airports in London, Berlin, Brussels and Dublin.

Collins Aerospace’s parent company RTX Corporation said it is working to restore systems but warned airlines to prepare for at least another week of disruption.