Customer data accessed in cyber attack on Manchester Airports Group

Manchester Airports Group has said customer data was accessed in a cyber security incident affecting services linked to Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports. The company said the incident involved an unauthorised third party and that about 8.7 million customers were affected. It said airport operations remained unaffected throughout.

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The group said the data accessed related to car park, lounge and fast track bookings, as well as in-airport Wi-Fi sign-ups. It said the information obtained included email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registration numbers and postcodes. The company also said that neither it nor the system accessed held customers' bank or payment details.

Manchester Airports Group said it contained the risk immediately and has been working with specialist advisers. It said it had informed and was working with the relevant authorities. The company also said passenger safety and aviation security were not compromised at any point, and that customer parking services continued to operate normally.

The incident affects one of the UK's largest airport operators, with major passenger flows through all three airports. The company said more than 32 million passengers travelled through Manchester Airport last year, while more than 30 million used Stansted and four million used East Midlands. That scale means even a limited data breach can affect a large number of travellers and create follow-up concerns about privacy and account security.

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The case also highlights the exposure of airport-linked digital services, including booking systems and public Wi-Fi registration. Those services often collect contact and vehicle information that can be useful to attackers even when financial data is not involved. The company's statement suggests the breach was contained to customer information rather than core aviation systems, which is significant for transport security.

What remains unclear is how the unauthorised access was carried out and whether any further data was taken beyond the categories already confirmed. It is also not yet clear whether affected customers will be contacted individually or what additional safeguards may be introduced. The next developments to watch are any findings from the investigation, further detail from authorities and whether the incident leads to wider security reviews across airport systems.

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