Manchester and Stansted owner claims hackers demanded ransom during cyber-attack

The owner of Manchester Airport (MAN) and London Stansted Airport (STN) has claimed that hackers demanded a ransom during yesterday’s “cyber security incident”.

On August 27, 2026, Manchester Airports Group (MAG) warned that hackers had accessed a “quantity of customer data” related to car park, lounge and fast track bookings and in-airport WIFI sign-ups.

Across Manchester Airport, Stansted Airport and MAG’s other site at East Midlands Airport (EMA), the details of around 8.7 million individuals were accessed.

According to the BBC, a MAG representative said hackers had demanded a ransom fee for the return of the data, but this was refused by the airport group.

They also told the BBC that the identity of hackers was known, and the relevant authorities had been informed.

Claudio Divizia / Shutterstock.comIn a statement, MAG said that no bank or payment details were accessed, but hackers had been able to get hold of customer email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registrations and postcodes.

“We immediately contained the risk and have been working with specialist advisors and taking appropriate steps to protect our customers and systems,” MAG said. “We have informed and are working with the relevant authorities. At no point has passenger safety or aviation security been compromised.”

The UK August Bank Holiday weekend is one of the busiest of the year for British airports, but MAG confirmed that the incident had not resulted in any operational disruption.

“We would like to reassure customers that Manchester Airport Group takes the security of customer information extremely seriously and we apologize for any inconvenience or concern caused,” added MAG.

The airport group stressed that, once it became aware of the data breech, it restricted access to the affected systems and engaged with specialist cyber security experts.

The MAG data protection team is now “overseeing the response to ensure that all actions taken are appropriate, thorough, and in line with our legal obligations”.

Customers have been advised to be vigilant for suspicious emails, text messages or phone calls and avoid clicking on links or opening attachments from unexpected communications.

Manchester Airport Group told AeroTime it was unable to comment further on the ransom.

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