Customer data relating to car park, lounge and Fast Track bookings, and in-airport Wi-Fi sign-ups at three UK airports has been obtained by an unauthorized third party.

Manchester Airports Group (MAG), which operates Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports, said it had immediately contained the risk and was working with specialist advisers and the relevant authorities.

It stressed that passenger safety and aviation security had not been compromised and that airport operations remained unaffected.

Email Addresses and Vehicle Registrations Exposed

The data accessed included customers' email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registration numbers and postcodes. MAG said neither it nor the affected system held customers' bank or payment details.

"This is a significant breach affecting a large number of customers ahead of one of the busiest travel periods of the year for UK airports," said Raghu Nandakumara, VP of industry strategy at Illumio.

"For those affected, the exposed data increases the risk of targeted phishing and smishing attempts, where attackers can use legitimate travel-related information to make malicious communications appear convincing."

MAG has contacted affected customers directly and advised them to remain alert for suspicious emails, text messages and phone calls. It said customers should avoid clicking links or opening unexpected attachments.

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Bookings Remain Valid but Online Changes Suspended

MAG said all upcoming bookings remain valid and customers do not need to take action regarding existing reservations. However, its online Manage My Booking service has been temporarily suspended as a precaution.

Customers needing to amend bookings due within 72 hours have been directed to MAG's customer services team, which the company said was open on weekdays between 9am and 5pm. It warned that call wait times may be longer than expected.

The company said it had restricted access to affected systems, engaged specialist cybersecurity experts and notified the relevant authorities. Its Data Protection team is overseeing the response.

"Measures such as segmentation can help restrict access to critical systems and sensitive data, reducing the risk that a single compromise becomes a wider incident," Nandakumara added.

The incident did not affect airport operational systems and passengers have been told by MAG to continue traveling as normal.