TOKYO (AP) — Japan Airlines (JAL) suffered a cyberattack Thursday morning that delayed more than 60 flights and disrupted ticket sales at the start of the New Year holiday season, before systems were restored in the afternoon.
The suspected Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack began around 7:25 a.m., causing delays of up to four hours for both domestic and international flights. Two domestic flights were canceled, and the airline temporarily suspended all ticket sales.
“Through the transport ministry, we have requested JAL to repair its system as soon as possible and respond appropriately to affected customers,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said during a press conference.
The airline confirmed no personal information was compromised and previously made reservations remained intact. Systems were fully restored by 2 p.m., though the disruption had already impacted holiday travelers, particularly at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.
“I’ve been looking forward to this year-end trip, but it’s worrying that there’s trouble,” said one traveler in his 30s, heading to Ishigaki Island from Haneda.
The incident also affected Japan Post Co., which reported mail and parcel delivery delays due to the flight disruptions. However, other domestic carriers, including All Nippon Airways, Skymark Airlines, Solaseed Air, and Star Flyer, confirmed their operations remained normal.
JAL has identified the attack’s cause and implemented countermeasures. The airline assured customers that ticket purchases and travel services have returned to normal as the holiday season continues.
A DDoS attack typically overwhelms networks by flooding them with data from multiple sources in a short time. While Narita Airport near Tokyo reported minimal confusion, the incident highlighted the vulnerability of aviation systems to cyber threats during peak travel periods.
