Cyberattack hits Japan Airlines; flights delayed, ticket sales suspended

Representational Image

Japan Airlines (JAL) announced on Thursday that its network had been targeted by a cyberattack, leading to delays of up to an hour for at least 14 domestic flights and disruptions to some international flights as well, reported news agency ANI.

The airline reported that the issues began at approximately 7:25 am, prompting it to suspend ticket sales for all domestic and international flights for the remainder of the day. Passengers who had already purchased tickets were advised that their bookings remained valid.

JAL said it was working to counteract the cyberattack and determine its source, adding that the attack may have a larger effect on its flights. The airline succeeded in temporarily shutting down the router believed to have been compromised. Investigative sources said the Metropolitan Police Department was contacted by JAL and is looking into the matter, reported ANI.

Earlier, in a post on X, Japan Airlines said, "We identified and addressed the cause of the issue. We are checking the system recovery status. Sales for both domestic and international flights departing today have been suspended. We apologize for any inconvenience."

It wrote, "We regret to inform you that our network systems are down. The cause is under investigation. This may potentially affect the operations of both domestic and international flights. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience."

The Kyodo News Service reported that the airline told police that it may have been the victim of a distributed denial-of-service, or DDoS attack, in which networks are overwhelmed by data from multiple sources over a short period.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told a regular news conference Thursday that the transport ministry told JAL to hasten efforts to restore the system and to accommodate affected passengers.

Television footage showed many passengers at Tokyo's Haneda airport held up by the attack that hit the year-end holiday travel season.

Other Japanese airlines, including ANA Holdings, Skymark and Starflyer, were not affected.

Japan's main travel season is just picking up, as offices close from this weekend for the New Year holidays, the biggest celebration of the year, when millions of people travel back to their hometowns from the cities.

(With inputs from ANI)