Cyberattack Forces Japan Airlines to Delay Some Flights and Suspend Ticket Sales

Japan Airlines was hit by a cyberattack that caused delays in some domestic and international flights as well as the suspension of ticket sales on 26 December.

Japan Airlines (JAL) has confirmed a cyberattack that has disrupted its flight operations, leading to delays for both domestic and international flights.

The airline announced that it experienced “malfunctions in systems communicating with external systems” on December 26, 2024.

JAL System Malfunction

In a statement on its social media channels, Japan Airlines confirmed the disruption. “A system malfunction has been occurring in the network equipment that connects the company and its customers since 7:24 a.m. today.”

“This is expected to affect both domestic and international flights. We will notify you in our next announcement as soon as we have confirmed the situation. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.

In the last few moments, Japan Airlines flight JL46, originally bound for Tokyo from Paris, has declared an emergency near Basel.

In response to the incident, JAL temporarily isolated a router to address the issue. The airline has suspended ticket sales for all services on December 26 and is working on system recovery.

The Japanese public broadcaster NHK said that more than a dozen flights were delayed across several Japanese airports.

While delays have been reported, there have been no mass cancellations. Rival carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA) remained unaffected by cyber security disruptions, and its flights have continued normally.

Kentaro Iemoto from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Concern of Aviation Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity remains a major challenge for the aviation industry in the post-pandemic era. As aircraft become more interconnected and reliant on technology, they become more vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Hackers can exploit vulnerabilities in airline systems to steal data, disrupt operations, or even take control of aircraft.

Japan Airlines (JAL) stands as a prominent figure in the Japanese aviation sector, serving as the country’s flag carrier. Headquartered in Tokyo, JAL operates a vast network of domestic and international flights, connecting Japan to major destinations worldwide.

The JAL cyberattack is not an isolated incident. Other Japanese companies, including a Toyota supplier and the country’s space agency, have also been targeted by cyberattacks in recent years.

These incidents highlight the increasing threat of cyberattacks and the need for robust cybersecurity measures in the aviation sector.