Malaysia Airlines becomes latest carrier hit by Amadeus booking system data breach

Malaysia Airlines planes are seen on the tarmac of Kuala Lumpur International Airport at Sepang, Malaysia Aug. 28, 2024. Photo by Reuters

Malaysia Airlines said Sunday that some customer information may have been compromised in a cybersecurity incident involving Amadeus, a global travel technology provider based in Spain whose systems support airline reservations and passenger services.

The airline joins Cathay Pacific Airways, Japan Airlines and South Korea's Asiana Airlines, among others, which have reported potential customer data breaches linked to the Amadeus incident in recent days.

Malaysia's flag carrier said the incident may have affected information processed between August 2023 and September 2026.

The airline said it is working with Amadeus and other relevant parties to investigate the incident and determine its impact.

It stressed that its own IT systems had not been breached and that there was no evidence that customers' financial information had been accessed.

Malaysia Airlines urged customers to remain alert to suspicious or unsolicited communications, particularly those requesting personal or financial details.

Amadeus said it had identified a vulnerability affecting a travel booking display environment but did not respond to a question about the number of customers whose data may have been affected.

In recent days, Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines reported that the incident had affected data associated with 53,000 bookings and 92,000 customers, respectively.