Major Cyberattack Cripples Airline Operations, Ticket Sales Suspended, Flights Disrupted

Japan (The Uttam Hindu): On Thursday, Japan Airlines (JAL) reported a cyberattack that disrupted its operations, leading to delays in both domestic and international flights and the suspension of ticket sales. In a statement shared on X, the airline explained that a system malfunction occurred in its internal and external networks at 7:24 am local time, affecting its operations. JAL apologized to passengers for the inconvenience and assured them that efforts to resolve the issue were underway.

"A system malfunction has been occurring in the network equipment connecting the company and its customers since 7:24 am today. This is expected to impact domestic and international flights. We will provide updates once the situation is confirmed. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused," the airline stated. Approximately 30 minutes later, JAL announced it had identified the issue at 8:56 am local time. The airline temporarily shut down the malfunctioning router that caused the disruption and began assessing the system's recovery. As a precaution, ticket sales for all flights departing on the same day were suspended.

"We identified the cause of the problem at 8:56 am and took immediate action. We are currently monitoring the system recovery status. Ticket sales for domestic and international flights departing today remain suspended. We deeply apologise for any inconvenience caused," the airline said in its update. Founded on August 1, 1951, Japan Airlines started as a private company before transitioning to state ownership. It was fully privatized in 1987. The airline operates from major hubs at Tokyo's Narita and Haneda airports, as well as Osaka's Kansai and Itami airports.