Cyberattack Hits Three British Airports, Exposing Data of 8.7 Million Customers

Manchester Airports Group (MAG) announced on Tuesday that a cyberattack had affected the personal data of millions of customers at three British airports, while stressing that flights and operational activity had not been disrupted.

MAG operates Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports in central England. According to the group, the incident involved the information of 8.7 million customers.

The data obtained by the hackers included email addresses, telephone numbers, vehicle registration numbers and postcodes.

“The incident did not cause any operational disruption, and airport operations continued as normal,” MAG said in a press release.

The attack took place over the weekend, while Manchester Airports Group was informed of it only on Tuesday.

MAG also clarified that the safety of passengers and airlines was not compromised at any time. The group added that banking and payment information was not affected.

Airport authorities attributed the incident to an “unauthorised third party” without providing further details about those responsible.

The unauthorised access involved customer data related to parking reservations, the use of lounges and Fast Track services, as well as Wi-Fi registrations at the airport terminals.

“We immediately mitigated the risk and are working with specialised consultants, taking appropriate measures to protect our customers and our systems,” concluded the company that manages the airports.