MANCHESTER, United Kingdom – Manchester Airports Group (MAG), the operator of Manchester, London Stansted, and East Midlands airports, has confirmed that it suffered a major cyberattack that resulted in an unauthorized breach of customer data affecting approximately 8.7 million passengers, the aviation group disclosed on Thursday, August 27, 2026.
The cybersecurity incident involved unauthorized access to external commercial booking systems and public network logs, compromising information related to airport parking reservations, executive lounge access, Fast Track security passes, and complimentary terminal Wi-Fi registration databases across all three international hubs.
Okay News reports that while the breach spans millions of travel records, MAG clarified that in the vast majority of cases, the compromised data was limited solely to customer email addresses, emphasizing that payment card details, bank accounts, passwords, and flight operations networks were not accessed.
“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. At no point has passenger safety or aviation security been compromised,” Manchester Airports Group said in an official statement.
MAG confirmed that it has notified relevant statutory bodies, including the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), while deploying external digital forensics specialists to audit its database firewalls and eradicate unauthorized backdoors.
Aviation authorities are advising affected passengers to remain vigilant against potential credential phishing campaigns, spoofed customer service calls, and malicious SMS messages exploiting their contact information to solicit personal financial credentials or unauthorized payments.
The airport operator reiterated that passenger processing, security screening lanes, air traffic control, and scheduled commercial flights continue to operate normally across Manchester, Stansted, and East Midlands without disruption.
