Three Major UK Airports Suffer Cyberattack, Exposing 8.7M Customers

A significant cybersecurity breach has impacted three of England’s most frequented airports. The Manchester Airports Group (MAG) confirmed on Thursday, August 27, 2026, that the personal data of approximately 8.7 million customers has been exposed.

The attack targeted MAG’s systems, which operate Manchester Airport, London Stansted Airport, and East Midlands Airport. These airports collectively handle around 65 million passengers per year.

An unauthorized third party accessed customer records associated with in-airport Wi-Fi sign-ups, car park bookings, lounge access, and Fast Track services. The stolen data includes email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registration numbers, and postcodes.

MAG acted swiftly to reassure the public, stating that no bank or payment card details were held on the affected systems. They further confirmed that passenger safety and airport operations were not disrupted. “We immediately contained the risk and have been working with specialist advisers,” the company said in a statement. They also added that all relevant authorities have been notified.

Cybersecurity experts are warning that even seemingly non-financial data can be highly dangerous when collected in bulk. The scale of the breach — 8.7 million records — makes it one of the largest UK data exposures disclosed this year.

This incident marks the second major cyberattack to strike UK and European aviation infrastructure in less than 12 months. It follows a September 2025 ransomware attack on Collins Aerospace’s check-in software that disrupted systems at Heathrow, Brussels, and Berlin airports.

Source: Euro Weekly News – 8.7 Million UK Airport Passengers Hit by Data Theft