Japan Airlines Hit by Massive Cyberattack, Flights Affected

Tokyo: After a brief disruption, Japan Airlines has restored its system, and ticket sales have resumed. JAL announced on Thursday that its systems were hit by a cyberattack, causing network disruptions. The airline stated that the attack began at 7:24 am, affecting devices connecting internal and external systems, and resulting in malfunctions in communication systems.  

This disruption could impact both domestic and international flight operations.  

"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." JAL said in the an X post.

“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused,” JAL added further in the statement, as efforts to resolve the issue are underway. Passengers are advised to check for updates on flight schedules.

JAL also announced that it has suspended ticket sales for both domestic and international flights due to a cyberattack disrupting its systems in an X post. 

The airline shared that the issue was identified at 8:56 am, and immediate action was taken to address it. “We identified the cause of the problem at 8:56 and took action. We are currently checking the system recovery status,” JAL said in an update on X (formerly Twitter).  

The airline also confirmed that the ticket sales halt applies to all flights departing on Thursday. “Sales have been suspended for both domestic and international flights departing today. We apologize for any inconvenience caused,” the statement added.  

Efforts are underway to restore the systems, and the airline is continuously monitoring the recovery process. Passengers are advised to stay updated on the situation and plan accordingly.