MANCHESTER — Manchester Airport, London Stansted and East Midlands Airport have been hit by a cyber-attack that exposed the data of about 8.7 million customers, according to Manchester Airports Group, which runs all three sites.
The company said the hackers accessed information linked to car park, lounge and fast-track bookings, as well as in-airport wifi sign-ups. The stolen details included email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registration numbers and postcodes.
MAG said no bank or payment details were held on the affected system. It also said passenger safety and aviation security were not compromised at any point, and airport operations were unaffected.
Customers warned to watch for fake messages after breach
London Stansted emailed customers to urge extra caution over unexpected emails, phone calls or text messages claiming to come from the airport.
It said it would never contact passengers out of the blue to ask for payment or banking information and apologised for any inconvenience or concern caused.
That warning comes because the data involved could be used in scam attempts, particularly if criminals combine names, contact details and travel-related information to make messages appear genuine.
MAG said it had contained the risk immediately and was working with specialist advisers to protect customers and systems. It added that it had informed the relevant authorities.
Summer travel pressure adds to concern over airport cyber security
The attack landed during the busiest part of the summer travel season, when many families are flying back into the UK before the new school year begins.
MAG said the three airports handled 54 million passengers combined last year, underlining the scale of the customer data held by the operator.
Lauren Wills-Dixon, a partner at Gordons, said airports collect large volumes of personal information through services such as lounge access, parking, fast-track bookings and wifi sign-ins. She said the growing use of technology also raises the threat of cyber-attacks.
Her comments reflect the broader pressure on transport operators to tighten digital defences as more passenger services move online.
Airports and wider UK infrastructure face repeated cyber threats
The incident adds to a run of high-profile cyber-attacks affecting British companies and infrastructure operators.
Last year, flights were delayed and cancelled at three major European airports, including Heathrow, after the software used for check-in and boarding was hit by a cyber-attack.
Earlier this month, hackers linked to Iran were blamed for a cyber-attack that temporarily shut down a British power plant. The government said the incident involved a small-scale generator and did not threaten the wider energy system.
Other recent attacks have hit Jaguar Land Rover, Marks & Spencer, Harrods and the Co-op food chain, adding to concern over the resilience of UK organisations that hold large amounts of customer data.
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