Manchester Airports Group has restricted access to affected systems after a cyber security breach at Manchester Airport, Stansted and East Midlands exposed customer information from booking and Wi-Fi systems. The group said people with airport car parking, lounge and Fast Track bookings, along with in-airport Wi-Fi users, are being contacted directly.
The data taken includes email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registrations and postcodes. Manchester Airports Group said neither it nor the system involved holds customers’ bank or payment details, and existing bookings remain valid.
Manchester Airports Group systems
The group said it brought in specialist cyber security experts and informed the relevant authorities after becoming aware of the incident. “We immediately contained the risk and have been working with specialist advisors and taking appropriate steps to protect our customers and systems. We have informed and are working with the relevant authorities,” Manchester Airports Group said.
Access to the online Manage My Booking service has been temporarily suspended as a precaution. Customers who need an urgent change to a booking taking place within the next 72 hours have been told to contact customer services by telephone. For passengers dealing with disruption at Manchester Airport, a separate report on travel disruption for 5 days has already drawn attention from regular travellers.
Stansted and East Midlands
The breach hit three airports at the same time, but Manchester Airports Group said flights and airport operations have not been disrupted. It also said parking services were unaffected and passengers should travel as planned.
The group warned customers to be particularly cautious of unexpected emails, text messages and phone calls. “At no point has passenger safety or aviation security been compromised,” Manchester Airports Group said.
That leaves one practical question for affected customers: how many people had their information compromised. For now, the clearest step is to watch for contact about a booking, avoid sharing payment card details, banking information or passwords, and use telephone customer services if a change is needed within 72 hours.
