Cathay Pacific data breach could affect 9.4m customers

The compromised data includes passport numbers, passenger names, email addresses and phone numbers. No loyalty or travel profiles were accessed in full, and passwords have not been compromised, according to the airline.

The Hong Kong-based carrier said it has no evidence that personal information has been misused as a result of the breach.

Chief executive officer Rupert Hogg said in a statement: “We are very sorry for any concern this data security event may cause our passengers. We acted immediately to contain the event, commence a thorough investigation with the assistance of a leading cybersecurity firm, and to further strengthen our IT security measures.”

Affected passengers are being contacted, the company said.

The hack is the latest in a string of IT issues affecting the aviation industry, with both British Airways and Air Canada affected by data security lapses in the past few months.